Naveen Patnaik

The party gave tickets to sons of two sitting MLAs -- Pravat Ranjan Biswal (Cuttack-choudwar) and Pravat Tripathy (Banki) -- who were arrested and later released on bail for their alleged involvement in a multi-crore chit fund scam.

Patnaik said this while presiding over the Council of Ministers meeting at the state secretariat which was for the first time telecast live on television channels.

Addressing party workers at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district and later at Nachuni in Khurda district, Adityanath called for a change in the state government to make Odisha prosperous.

Addressing a rally at Bhawanipatna, among the backward regions of the state, Gandhi said the BJP-led government at the Centre and the BJD dispensation in the state have "failed to work" for the welfare of the dalits, the tribals, the farmers and the poor.

As PM Modi addressed three public meetings at Khurda, Baripada and Bolangir between December 24 and January 15, Patnaik too has plans to speak to the people in those places

Hours after Pradhan's press conference, the BJD convened a press conference here and came down heavily on the Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister and called him a 'habitual liar'.

BJP's secretary Suresh Pujari had claimed that the party would sweep the polls in the western district and bag all the 40 assembly seats in the region.

Describing the Digha-Gopalpur costal highway, as a "game changer" for Odisha, the senior BJP leader said it was one of the grandest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the state.

Patnaik had made it clear that his party would not become a part of the 'mahagathbandhan', a grand alliance at the national level to oppose the BJP and the Modi government in the Lok Sabha polls this year.

Patnaik said as part of his party's policy, the BJD will continue to maintain equal distance from both the BJP and the Congress.

The BJP has stepped up efforts to increase footprint in Odisha where it won nine out of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 parliamentary elections

Pradhan also accused Patnaik of maintaining a double standard on women's reservation.

Asked how his KALIA scheme would give proper price to farmers, the chief minister said he had been demanding to enhance the MSP of paddy "but the central government is not taking any step".

While Rupani came down to the capital of Odisha to address a press conference on the Rafale fighter aircraft deal in the aftermath of the Supreme Court judgment, Patnaik flew out to Gujarat the same day to attend a festival of Odia migrant labourers in Surat.

In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu on November 15, Patnaik said a large number of Odia people, who were engaged in trade and commerce in Surat, face hardship as there was no direct air connectivity between Bhubaneswar and Surat at present.

Patnaik has so far not attended any meetings of the grand alliance nor did he send any BJD representative to attend such discussions.

"I propose that each of the industry captains present here, plan a long-term strategy for investment in the state over the next 10 years," Patnaik said at the plenary session of the 'Make in Odisha Conclave 2018' here.

Patnaik said his administration has demonstrated its commitment to deliver projects on ground "using the mantra of teamwork, technology and transparency".

"In last six months we conducted ground breaking ceremonies of 50 project entailing an investment of over Rs 17,000 crore," he said at the well-attended function.

"I congratulate the chief minister for the state's own scheme. But the state should also take advantage of the Ayushman Bharat," the Union minister said.