States » EastPosted at: Oct 6 2026 12:47PM


BJD Rajya Sabha MPs to Join Opposition Protest March, Targets CEC Over SIR

Bhubaneswar, Oct 6 (UNI) The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Rajya Sabha MPswill join the Opposition parties' protest march in New Delhi on Tuesday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the reported deletion of voters' names across the country.
BJD Parliamentary Party leader in the Rajya Sabha Manas Mangaraj said the party's MPs would participate in the protest march as directed by party president and Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik.
Mangaraj said Patnaik had already demanded Kumar's resignation over his alleged role in the SIR exercise.
He said the alleged exclusion of more than 20 lakh voters in Odisha and over 13 crore voters across the country during the SIR process had raised serious concerns over the electoral roll revision exercise.
Referring to the Dhamnagar Assembly constituency in Odisha's Bhadrak district, Mangaraj alleged that 227 votes belonging to members of a minority community in a particular area were deleted without the knowledge of the concerned Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
He claimed that thousands of voters had reportedly been excluded from the electoral rolls in Dhamnagar and said the voluntary retirement application submitted by State Chief Electoral Officer R S Gopalan had further raised questions over the process.
Mangaraj also referred to the Supreme Court's recent observations on changes made to Form 6, saying they had raised questions over the Election Commission's earlier position on the matter. The Supreme Court has clarified that it had not approved the modifications to Form 6 and has sought an explanation from the Election Commission on the issue.
He alleged that the developments had raised questions about the Election Commission's handling of the SIR exercise and demanded accountability from the poll panel.
Mangaraj said the BJD had maintained equal distance from both the INDIA bloc and the NDA. However, as a responsible political party committed to protecting democratic institutions and the integrity of the electoral process, the BJD had decided to participate in Tuesday's protest march.
The Opposition march in Delhi is being held to press for the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar amid continuing political and legal controversy over the SIR exercise.
UNI DP
Tags: #BJD Rajya Sabha MPs to Join Opposition Protest March# Targets CEC Over SIR
More News

Nandigram, Rejinagar bypolls record brisk voting; Suvendu predicts BJP win by record margin

06 Oct 2026 | 1:41 PM

Kolkata, Oct 6 (UNI) Voting is underway at a brisk pace in Nandigram and Rejinagar on Tuesday, five months after the West Bengal Assembly elections brought about a change of government in the state, with the two bypolls being closely watched for the political signals they may send.

see more..

Odisha Assembly panel seeks impact assessment before Neredi barrage land transfer

06 Oct 2026 | 1:01 PM

Bhubaneswar, Oct 6 (UNI) The Odisha Assembly Standing Committee has directed the state government to undertake a comprehensive scientific assessment of the likely impact of Andhra Pradesh’s proposed Neredi barrage on Odisha’s water rights, land, agriculture, environment and livelihoods before transferring 106 acres of land to the neighbouring state.

see more..

BJD Rajya Sabha MPs to Join Opposition Protest March, Targets CEC Over SIR

06 Oct 2026 | 12:47 PM

Bhubaneswar, Oct 6 (UNI) The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Rajya Sabha MPswill join the Opposition parties' protest march in New Delhi on Tuesday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the reported deletion of voters' names across the country.

see more..

Cyclones can disrupt groundwater, trigger seawater mixing deep below ground: IIT Kharagpur study

06 Oct 2026 | 11:47 AM

Snehal Sengupta
Kolkata, Oct 6 (UNI) Extreme cyclones like Amphan that lashed the city and the state back in 2020 can alter groundwater levels and chemistry more than 100 metres beneath the ground and trigger seawater mixing in deep coastal aquifers, posing an additional threat to drinking-water security in vulnerable delta regions, a study involving researchers from IIT Kharagpur has found.

see more..

Bihar: Three teenagers drown in pond in Saran

06 Oct 2026 | 10:41 AM

Chhapra, Oct 6 (UNI) Altogether three teenagers drowned while bathing in a pond in Saran district.

see more..