Odisha CM Kicks Off BJD's Election Campaign From Hinjili Constituency

by Hemanta Pande

Berhampur, Apr 24: BJD chief and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik kicked off the election campaign from Hinjili constituency in Ganjam district on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister stated that Odisha is the first state in India to present a separate agriculture budget.

Naveen Patnaik said, "This decade will be a golden era for the youth of the state as the government is placing emphasis on employment and skill development. We will bring a Youth budget in the state. Odisha is the first state in India to present a separate agriculture Budget."

He further remarked that the coming decade will belong to Odisha.

"Development is our identity. However, opposition parties are playing politics on every issue and opposing developmental activities. They had opposed projects including the Shree Mandir Prikrama project. People of the state are aware of it. The coming decade will belong to Odisha," he added.

5T Chairman VK Pandian also addressed a public rally in Hinjili Assembly Constituency in Ganjam district.

Assembly and Lok Sabha elections will be held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases, starting from Phase one on May 13, Phase two on May 20, Phase three on May 25 and the final Phase on June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) emerged as the dominant party, securing 20 out of the 21 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a single seat.

However, the 2019 elections saw a shift in the political landscape. The BJD's seat count was reduced to 12, while the BJP made significant gains, winning 8 seats.

This change marked a notable increase in the BJP's presence in the state. The Indian National Congress (INC) also managed to secure a seat in the 2019 elections. (ANI)

Uttarakhand: 5 killed, 1 injured after car falls into deep ditch in Dehradun

by Utkalika Mohanty

Dehradun, May 4: 5 people were killed and one was severely injured after a car fell into a deep ditch in the Dehradun district of Uttarakhand on Saturday, an official said.

The incident took place near Pani Wala Band on Mussoorie Dehradun Marg, Jhadipani Road, Uttarakhand.

According to the Superintendent of Police for the City, Pramod Kumar, a car lost control and fell into a deep ditch in which 5 people died while one girl was seriously injured.

The injured was identified as Nancy who is undergoing treatment.

"The injured condition is critical," said Kumar.

There were a total of seven members in the car out of which 4 were boys while two were girls all were students of Dehradun IMS College and had come to Mussoorie for a trip, Kumar added.

While returning to Dehradun in the morning, the car fell into a deep ditch, Kumar said.

Further, he said that Emergency response teams, including the Mussoorie Police, Fire Service, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), quickly arrived on the scene following reports of the accident. They successfully rescued the two girls from the ditch and transported them to a hospital in Dehradun.

However, despite their efforts, one of the girls succumbed to her injuries later in the hospital, raising the death toll to five.
Further details are awaited.

Earlier on April 22, one person died while another was injured after a vehicle fell into a gorge in the Rudraprayag district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday, said officials.

The deceased was identified as Preetam Singh (24) and the injured as Suraj Singh (35), both were a resident of Bhunka village, Rudraprayag.

According to the officials, Today, the Rudraprayag District Control Room informed the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team that a vehicle had met with an accident at a location called Bhunka in the Rudraprayag district.

On receiving this information, Sub-Inspector, Bhagat Singh and the SDRF rescue team immediately set off for the accident site.
Two people were in the vehicle, one of whom died on the spot, while the other was injured and had already been rescued and sent to the hospital by local people, the officials added.

As soon as the team reached, they extracted the body of the second person from the wrecked vehicle, and transported it to the main road using a stretcher, handing it over to the district police, said officials.

(ANI)

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IPL 2024: MI at the moment are not playing as a team, says Irfan Pathan

by Utkalika Mohanty

New Delhi, May 4: Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan made scathing criticism of Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya after their disappointing loss to Kolkata Knight Riders by 24 runs on Friday night.

Pathan highlighted key moments where he believed MI faltered, particularly focusing on Pandya's decision-making on the field. The use of Naman Dhir for three crucial overs when KKR was struggling at 57/5 raised eyebrows, with Pathan suggesting it cost ME dearly by 20 runs, allowing KKR to post a daunting total of 170.

“Mumbai Indians' story is finished in the IPL 2024. They were a very good team on paper but they have not been managed well. Questions on Hardik Pandya's captaincy are absolutely valid. Today when KKR were 57/5, you bowled 3 bowlers of Naman Dhir. You bowled your sixth bowler, let KKR form a crucial partnership between Manish Pandey and Venkatesh Iyer. The 83-run partnership took KKR to 170 when they should have only got to 150 and that turned out to be the point of difference," Irfan Pathan said on Instagram.

Pathan's criticism didn't stop there. He delved into the dynamics within the MI camp, suggesting that the team lacked cohesion and unity, hinting at possible rifts or factions within the squad. He emphasized the significance of player acceptance of the captain's authority, insinuating that this may be lacking in the current MI setup.

“Cricket is a game where captaincy and management is crucial and MI at the moment are not playing as a team and that's the biggest talking point of the season for MI. It is important for the players to accept their captain and I don't think it has happened for MI this season," Pathan further added.

MI find themselves languishing at the bottom of the league table, with just six points from eleven games.

(IANS)

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S. Jaishankar Arrives In Bhubaneswar On 2-Day Odisha Visit

by Utkalika Mohanty

Bhubaneswar, May 4: External Affairs Minister and Senior BJP Leader S. Jaishankar arrived in Bhubaneswar on two-day visit to Odisha ahead of elections 2024.