Odisha

According to officials, a group of devotees were celebrating the festival with firecrackers. A splinter from a burning cracker struck a heap of firecrackers, triggering a massive explosion. The burning crackers hit the people at the scene, causing panic as some individuals jumped into the waterbody to escape, police said.

"Is there a conspiracy behind the sudden deterioration of Naveen Patnaik's health? Is the lobby that is currently running the Patnaik government on his behalf responsible for the sudden deterioration of his health condition?" asked PM Modi.

In the upcoming Phase 7 of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, a total of 57 parliamentary constituencies will go to polls across eight states and Union Territories will vote on June 1. The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 or general elections to select representatives of the 18th Lok Sabha is being held across seven phases and results will be announced on June 4.

Polling in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 will be held on 58 constituencies across seven states and UTs. Delhi, Haryana, UP, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Jammu-Kashmir will vote on May 25.

A recent report indicates thata staggering 46% of defrauded money in India is now lost to cybercrimes originating from Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, surpassing previous hotspots like Jamtara and Mewat.

Large parts of North India are reeling under extreme heatwave conditions with temperatures rising above 45 degrees in many places. Haryana’s Sirsa observed the hottest day with 47.8 degrees on May 21 followed by Rajasthan’s Pilani (47.2) and Punjab’s Bhatinda (46.6).

The Lok Sabha Phase 5 Election 2024 will be held across several cities on May 20, Monday. The fifth phase of LS Elections will take place in Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Ladakh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Jammu & Kashmir.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning for heatwave to severe heatwave conditions expected to prevail in many parts of the country today (May 18). The Met Department further said that a wet spell with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to continue over south Peninsular India till May 23.

In this phase, voters in Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal will cast their vote across various constituencies. Here's a breakdown of the regions and constituencies slated for polling:

Allu Arjun and Jr NTR, prominent personalities, enthusiastically participated in the early morning voting on May 13 as Telangana and Andhra Pradesh geared up for the Lok Sabha elections