On 8 October, a 12-hour bandh disrupted transport, mining and normal activity in parts of Odisha. The INDIA bloc held a large ‘Parivartan Rally’ in Bhubaneswar and activists attempted to march toward the residence of chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
With tribals restive in several mineral-rich districts of Koraput, Rayagada, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Nabarangpur, both the BJP and INDIA bloc are coming out for and against the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act 2026.
Rushed through Parliament despite the Supreme Court ruling in favour of the states, the amendment prevents state governments from independently levying fresh taxes, cesses or local duties on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands, bringing them under the Centre’s direct regulatory framework.
As the Congress — which has been out of power in Odisha for the last 26 years — shows signs of life, the question being asked is: can it make a successful bid for power in 2029?
It’s a Herculean task on paper. In the 2024 Assembly election, the BJP and BJD had each garnered a little over 40 per cent of the vote share. Congress was a distant third with just about 13 per cent. The GOP will need to treble its vote share to come anywhere close to victory.
The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government in the state was non-confrontational and believed in ‘live and let live’. It extended the olive branch to all top Opposition party leaders. The Congress, then the main Opposition, became a victim of the ruling party’s politics of accommodation. The BJD’s outreach effectively blunted its aggression.
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