Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The general elections in 2024 are less than a year away, and both the government and opposition political parties in Odisha are not in the mood to lose out on any chance to engage voters. The Odisha administration has been under fire from the opposition parties for recent frequent power disruptions in various regions of the state as oppressive heat and humidity made life difficult for the populace.
The largest opposition party in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), today started a statewide agitation by holding protests in front of Tata Power (the state’s power distribution company) offices all throughout the state in response to the unannounced power outages. The BJP had previously declared that similar protests will take place for two days in opposition to the power distribution company’s regular power outages. BJP members gheraoed Tata Power offices at several locations throughout the state while carrying traditional hand fans and lanterns, claiming that frequent power outages were making life unpleasant for the populace.
Leaders of the BJP disputed the state’s claim to be a power-surplus state. On the other side, members of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) protested the price hike on home LPG cylinders by holding a dharna in front of the Raj Bhawan. A BJD team met with the Governor and sent a letter to the President denouncing the increase in LPG cylinder prices. According to the BJD, the price of a cooking gas cylinder refill has increased from Rs 420 in 2014 to Rs 1130 today, or nearly three times, in the past nine years. In the event that the Central government does not promptly lower the price of domestic LPG, BJD members have warned to escalate the protest to the panchayat and block levels.
