Bhubaneswar: The INDIA bloc is set to observe a 12-hour Odisha bandh on Thursday over three major demands.
These are immediate withdrawal of the MMDR Amendment Act-2026, resignation of Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over errors in school textbooks, and resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The Congress and its allies are expected to take to the streets across the state. The bandh could affect normal life, particularly road transport, markets and business establishments.
Workers and members of Congress and its allies may block roads at several places, which could disrupt vehicular movement. Commuters may face delays, particularly in major cities and towns.
Shops and business establishments may also remain closed in response to the bandh call. The extent of the impact, however, is likely to vary from place to place. The protesters may also stage rail roko demonstrations at railway stations, which could affect train movement and cause delays or disruptions.
Essential and emergency services will remain outside the purview of the bandh. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das said Congress and its alliance partners would ensure that the bandh is observed peacefully across the state.
However, the Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association said private bus services would operate as usual. Association president Priyabrata Tripathy said no decision had been taken to suspend bus services in support of the agitation.
He said no one had so far approached the bus owners or contacted the association seeking their support for a shutdown of private bus services in connection with the proposed bandh. “Till now, our decision is that bus services will continue as usual tomorrow,” Tripathy said.