Overview
- The Biju Janata Dal said on Wednesday that it will not support the 12-hour Odisha bandh scheduled for October 8 called by Congress-led INDIA bloc parties.
- BJD leaders and MPs had joined a protest in New Delhi over alleged deletions in the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls, but the party framed that presence as issue-specific and not a political alliance.
- Senior BJD leader Pramila Mallik briefly signalled support for the bandh and retracted the comment hours later, prompting the party to publicly reaffirm its equidistant policy.
- INDIA bloc parties are pressing three main demands for the shutdown: repeal of the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026, the resignation of the state School and Mass Education Minister over roughly 1,800 reported textbook errors, and the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner over alleged SIR irregularities.
- State authorities have told district collectors and police to maintain law and order and to exempt essential services, while INDIA bloc leaders are stepping up mobilisation, a dynamic that could affect daily services and turnout on Thursday.