Bhubaneswar, October 8: Normal life was disrupted in Bhubaneswar and Jatani on Thursday as the Congress-led INDIA bloc observed a statewide bandh demanding the repeal of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Amendment Act, 2026, and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

In Bhubaneswar, Congress and INDIA bloc workers staged demonstrations at the Railway Station, Master Canteen Square, bus stand, and several other locations, disrupting traffic and public transport services.

The protesters also demanded the resignation of Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Nityanand Gond over alleged errors in school textbooks and sought measures to safeguard the interests of people affected by floods.

Senior Congress leader Suresh Kumar Routray said restoring Odisha’s rights over its mineral resources was the primary demand.

“Our number one demand is that the mining property rights belonging to Odisha, worth lakhs of crores, be restored to the state. Secondly, Gyanesh Kumar must resign and be arrested for his wrongdoing,” Routray said.

All India Forward Bloc state general secretary Jyoti Ranjan Mahapatra alleged that the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026, was against Odisha’s interests and would benefit private companies.

He said the bandh was called by a coalition of 10 political parties to press for four key demands, including restoration of Odisha’s mineral rights, the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner and the state School and Mass Education Minister, and protection of flood-affected people.

In Jatani, Congress leader Sidharth Routray, Ashok Mangaraj, CPM leader Saranga Dhar Behera and hundreds of party workers staged protests on the main road leading to the railway station and the DRM office. The demonstrations continued for several hours, disrupting traffic and normal activities in the railway town under the Khurda Road railway division.

The bandh was supported by constituent parties of the INDIA bloc, including the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML)-Liberation, Forward Bloc, NCP (Sharad Pawar), Samajwadi Party, RJD and JMM.

The joint agitation was led by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das, CPI state secretary Dr Prashant Kumar Mishra, CPI(M) state secretary Suresh Chandra Panigrahy, Puspa Panda Dash , CPI(ML)-Liberation state secretary Yudhishthir Mohapatra, Forward Bloc state general secretary Jyoti Ranjan Mohapatra, NCP state president Bikram Swain, Samajwadi Party state secretary Ramakanta Hati and RJD state general secretary Hemant Kumar, among other senior leaders.

Several other senior leaders and activists, including Jayadev Jena, Ramachandra Khuntia, Sarat Rout, Suresh Kumar Routray, Shibananda Ray, Kishore Jena, Aravind Das, Santosh Das and Dushmanta Kumar Das, also participated in the protests.

The bandh was observed from 6 am to 6 pm, with the protesters maintaining that the shutdown was aimed at protecting Odisha’s interests and safeguarding the welfare of its people.