“Today marks the conclusion of a significant chapter in my political journey. I have tendered my resignation from the primary membership of Congress, ending my family’s 55-year relationship with the party…,” Milind Deora, the son of Congress veteran Murli Deora, wrote on social media X.

“I am grateful to all leaders, colleagues & karyakartas for their unwavering support over the years,” Deora added.

Deor dismissed the speculation of his joining the Shiv Sena-led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shindeas “rumours”.

Deora recently expressed his displeasure over the Shiv Sena (UBT) staking a claim to the Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency public, and told reporters that he was holding discussions with his supporters. “I am listening to my supporters…Haven’t taken a decision yet,” the former Mumbai South MP said when asked if he was chalking out a plan with his supporters.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction had staked a claim to contest the Mumbai South constituency, represented by Deora before 2014, in the upcoming general elections, which seemed to have not gone down well with the Congress leader. In a video statement issued last Sunday, Deora said that if such statements by an “alliance partner” don’t stop, his party too can announce candidates for seats.

Notably, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is an alliance partner of the Congress and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) in the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra. Deora had said since the formal talks on sharing of seats were yet to be concluded, nobody should make claims and counter-claims.

Deora, son of Congress veteran Murli Deora, had won the Mumbai South seat in 2004 and 2009. He ended up as the first runner-up in the subsequent elections in 2014 and 2019 against Shiv Sena (Undivided) leader Arvind Sawant. Deora had said his family represented the seat for 50 years and wasn’t elected on any “wave”.

The state had 3,26,55,213 voters till October last year. While 12,97,954 names were added, 7,16,807 were deleted and 4,22,638 modified, he added.

According to the final electoral rolls, the state witnessed a substantial rise in women voters from 1.60 crore till October 27, 2023, to 1.63 crore while the gender ratio improved to 972 as against 961 in 2023. It has put the number of male voters at 1.68 crore and transgenders at 3,380.

A total of 4,70,798 more young voters have also registered. In November, 2023, the CEO had started a campaign to grab the eyeballs of youths and cricket loving netizens by using catchy taglines like ‘Just like every run counts, Every vote matters’ with hashtag of ICC Men’s World Cup while asking them not to lose the last opportunity to get themselves registered as a voter and cast your vote in the upcoming general elections.

Of the total electors, 7.54 lakh (2.27%) are young voters, 4.57 lakh (1.38%) persons with disabilities and 6.85 lakh (2.06%) senior citizens.

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Gayatri Nagar, where Mishra has founded the largest Jagannath Temple of Chhattisgarh, comes under his constituency.

Recently, Mishra was unanimously elected as president of Greater Odia Samaj in Chhattisgarh. The Samaj has been formed with representatives of 24 associations representing 35 lakh Odias living in the state. At present, Mishra also holds the post of chief patron of Chhattisgarh branch of World Odisha Society.

The Odia community across Chhattisgarh has welcomed the nomination of Mishra as BJP candidate in the Assembly election.

Speaking on the occasion, Naveen paid tributes to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on his 154th birth anniversary, saying that he has been a source of inspiration for all. “The ruling BJD has been working to uplift downtrodden, women, ST and SC community and also the youth of the state. The women’s reservation bill, which the party has long been fighting for, has finally seen the light of the day. The government’s Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana has proved to be a game changer in health sector. The state has also set example in transforming schools, food safety and sports,” he said.

Taking a swipe at the Opposition, he added, “The Opposition is anti-development and anti-people. They only mislead people with wrong information. They indulge in such activities ahead of election because of which the people of the state have been rejecting them year after year. They also attempted to the ongoing development works at Jagannath Temple in Puri and Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar. People will never elect them to power.”

The ‘padayatra’ is being organised in every ward and panchayat throughout Odisha till October 11. BJD workers and leaders will also attend training camps, which will be organised in all the assembly constituencies and monitored by district presidents, observers and other senior leaders. Blood donation camps and plantation drives will also be conducted across the state during this period, sources said.

Notably, the BJD’s ‘padayatra’ coincides with Congress’ ongoing ‘Ghar Ghar Congress’ programme, which will continue till October 15.

Manas Mangaraj, general secretary of BJD, in a press release on Monday, said Rabindra Pradhan, state general secretary of Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) has been suspended from BJD for anti-party activities with immediate effect. The BCJD is the students’ wing of the party.

Similarly, Prakash Paswan, state secretary of Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD), the youth wing of BJD, has been removed from the post.

Both orders were issued on the direction of BJP president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Mangaraj said in the release.

Kovind outlined the agenda of the meeting and modalities of how the committee will work, according to a Ministry of Law & Justice press release.

The committee decided to invite recognised national political parties, political parties having government in states, political parties having their representatives in Parliament, other recognised state political parties for seeking suggestions/viewpoints on the issue of simultaneous elections in India.

The meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law & Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, former Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha) Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission Chairman NK Singh, former Lok Sabha Secretary General Dr. Subhash C. Kashyap, and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari.

Senior Advocate Harish Salve joined the meeting virtually.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was named on the panel, was absent. He had said soon after the formation of the committee that he didn’t wish to be on it.

Speaking at a presser, BJP’s Rengali MLA Nauri Nayak on Friday said that it would not be possible for the MLAs of western Odisha to reach Bhubaneswar to attend the election as the celebration continues till the next day. “Though we had demanded for a change in election date, the government paid no heed to it,” he said.

Nuakhai is an important agrarian festival of western Odisha and it is celebrated with pomp and gaiety in several districts, including Sambalpur, Balangir, Bargarh, Sundargarh, Kalahandi, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Boudh and Sonepur.

“The state government is being run by non-Odia bureaucrats and they seems to have no knowledge about Nuakhai and western Odisha. It is unfortunate that the BJD leaders from western Odisha also did not raise the issue with the government,” he said.

As per the direction of Leader of Opposition Jayanarayan Mishra and Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal, the party’s legislators would boycott the poll, he added.

On Thursday, Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra had told the media that the party’s MLAs will not join the election process on September 21 as the festival is observed for two days across the western region of the state. “Despite protests, the government did not listen to our problem. The Congress MLAs will not be able to attend the Speaker election on that day,” he said.

Narasingha also accused Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of meting out “step-motherly” treatment to the people of the region.

While declining to comment on the matter as it is under the Department of Parliamentary Affairs, Planning and Convergence Minister Rajendra Dholakia, who hails from western Odisha, rubbished the allegation. “The CM has always given importance to Western Odisha. Be it medical colleges in Kalahandi and Balangir, there are several examples to show that the allegation is not true,” he told PTI.

On Wednesday, state Congress media cell chairman Ganeswar Behera had said that ‘Nuakhai’ will be celebrated on September 20 while ‘Nuakhai Bhetghat’ will be held on September 21. “People across western Odisha celebrate the festival with enthusiasm and fervour and partake the offering after ‘Nabanna’ is offered to Maa Samaleswari. In view of the importance of this popular festival, the state government generally declares holiday for two days every year. However, only one holiday has been declared this year,” he said in a statement.

Notably, the Speaker post has remained vacant since the resignation of Bikram Keshari Arukha on May 12. Deputy Speaker Rajanikant Singh is in charge now.

However, the office order cites no reason for his removal.

This came amid speculation of possible disciplinary action against the lawmaker over his critical views on the ruling dispensation and 5T secretary V K Pandian and the seemingly growing differences within the ruling party ahead of twin elections scheduled in April 2024 in Odisha. BJD leaders have been targeting Soumya, accusing him of blackmailing the party, for the past few days.

On September 9, Industries and Energy Minister Pratap Keshari Deb even asked Soumya to quit BJD if he was unable to abide by the party discipline. BJD MP Amar Patnaik later told the media that criticising the party while being a member was unacceptable.

Soumya had earlier retorted that his attempts to reform the party cannot be called indiscipline. He also said the leaders making statements against him were being pressurised to do so.

In editorial articles in a leading Odia daily as well as bytes to journalists, the legislator had attacked 5T secretary V K Pandian’s whirlwind district visits and stranglehold over the government and party.

The prime minister is not learnt to have discussed the subject with his ministers before this.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday morning, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi wrote to PM Modi, suggesting a list of nine subjects that can be discussed at the special session of parliament beginning on September 18, to which the government suggested that Mrs Gandhi does not pay attention to tradition, under which the agenda need not be discussed before the session begins.

“After the calling of the session by the President and before commencement of the session, there is a meeting of the leaders of all the parties in which the people rising in the Parliament are discussed. Issues and work are discussed.” Wrote Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.

The single judge bench of Justice Gourishankar Satapathy invalidated the criminal proceedings pending against Swain in Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court, Angul, as cognisance of the alleged offence was taken after the statutory period of two years. “Since cognisance of offence after the statutory period is otherwise an abuse of process of court and to secure the ends of justice, the impugned order taking cognisance of offence together with the criminal proceeding being unsustainable, is required to be quashed,” the court observed on Monday.

While the Athagarh MLA along with his supporters had obstructed the movement of trains on August 3, 2016, opposing construction of barrage over the Mahanadi in his constituency by Chhattisgarh government, Railway police registered a case against him under Section 174 (a) of the Railway Act, 1989, on July 9, 2019.

While Dhenkanal police initiated criminal proceedings before the court of JMFC, Sundargarh, which took cognisance of the offence, the case was later transferred to JMFC, Angul, after it was notified to try cases relating to MPs and MLAs for offences connected to Dhenkanal and some other districts.

In 2021, Swain moved the HC, which observed that the JMFC, Sundargarh, simply took cognisance of offence and issued process against the accused petitioner ignoring his valuable right which cannot be rectified.