In the Milieu of Crorepati Candidates, a Daily-wage-earner in Odisha Throws his Hat into Electoral Ring

Bhubaneswar: The Aska assembly constituency in Odisha’s Ganjam district is back in the news after a 55-year-old daily wage-earner entered the electoral fray.

Ramachandra Badatya, a mason hailing from Haradapadar village, has filed his nomination papers to contest the polls from Aska assembly polls. He goes out to work in the morning and undertakes his campaigns for two hours in the forenoon and again in the evening.

Ramachandra strikes a balance between his work schedule and the campaigning hours. He is seen visiting houses seeking votes.

Ramachandra is a member of the Red Stat Committee of CPI (ML).

“My working hours are from 8 am to 11 am. During the three-hour break, I undertake campaigning activity for two hours. After an hour's rest, I resume work from 3 pm to 6 pm and then start my second round of campaigning in the evening,” he said.

The masson, who gets around Rs 500 a day, does not hire anyone for sticking posters on walls or hanging banners at important places. He does all these activities himself with the help of some of his close friends.

He does not mind losing his deposit of Rs 10,000.

“I’m in the fray with a message: ‘Choose right candidate who can do good to you.’ I tell people not to elect a person who is corrupt and inefficient. I know the chances of my victory are not as bright. But, it gives me satisfaction when some people stand and listen to my speech,” he says.

Ramachandra raises the issues of migration of local youths to other cities in search of work and lack of industrialsation in Ganjam district. He also raises the state government’s utter negligence to the agriculture sector.

Ramachandra has thrown his hat into the ring regardless of the stalwarts of the BJD, BJP and Congress in the fray. The BJP has fielded Saroj Kumar Padhi while Congress has given a ticket to Surabhi Bisoi. The BJD has fielded Manjula Swain.