Ritesh K Srivastava
Naveen dumps BJP
Proving all exit polls and projections wrong, Navin Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal came back once again with a thumping majority, as it won 103 of the 147 seats in state Assembly. With this hat-trick, Navin Patnaik became Chief Minister for the third time in a row.
Besides, BJD also swept the Lok Sabha elections in the state by winning 14 of the total 21 seats. Although the Congress won 6 parliamentary seats, it put up a poor show in the Assembly polls, winning only 26 seats. Surprisingly, the CPI also opened its account and won a Lok Sabha seat in the state.
The BJP, which had severed ties with the BJP, was routed in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. It managed to win only six Assembly seats, including two in riot-hit Kandhamal. Of the 145 Assembly seats where election took place, NCP won 4, CPI one, and others 5.
Maoists kill Greyhounds
In one of the deadliest attacks by the banned Maoists, nearly 32 Greyhound commandos of Andhra Pradesh Police were killed and 10 others seriously injured when the Left ultras attacked a motor boat carrying the team in the Chitrakonda reservoir- near Andhra-Orissa border on June 29.
The incident occurred when the Greyhounds were returning after a joint operation with the Orissa police and their launch capsized when they tried to counter the Maoist attack.
Later, the Naval divers and security personnel launched an operation to locate the missing commandos and fish out dead bodies from the Chitrakonda reservoir. As many as 32 bodies were recovered later.
Speaker quits over sexual harassment charges
Orissa State Assembly Speaker Maheshwar Mohanty landed in troubled waters when a lady marshal charged him with serious allegations of sexual harassment. The charges of sexual harassment against Mohanty rocked the Assembly during the Budget Session.
The news spread like wild fire and the opposition parties demanded Mohanty's resignation and also asked for an independent probe either by a High Court judge or by CBI.
A criminal case was registered against Mohanty on March 29. Finally, he resigned from his post, denying all charges. Later, the Orissa Human Rights Commission acquitted him citing lack of "credible evidence", and also closed the case saying the allegations made by lady marshal could not be established.
First Published: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 23:21