Paikas, slum dwellers hold the key in Bhubaneswar LS seat

Bhubaneswar : Paika community and slum dwellers hold the key in the prestigious Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency from where former IAS officer and sitting BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi and BJD candidate Manmath Routray are seeking votes claiming that their party has done a lot of development work in the area.

Paikas were originally a class of military retainers recruited since the 16th century by the kings in Odisha from different social groups to render martial services in return for hereditary rent-free land and titles.

More than 50,000 slum voters reside in three Assembly segments of Bhubaneswar Central, Bhubaneswar North and Ekamra-Bhubaneswar located within the capital city. As Bhubaneswar City has a history of low polling percentages in the past elections, slum dwellers in the capital city play a deciding factor in the three Assembly segments, political analysts said.

The Congress has fielded its Odisha student wing (NSUI) chief Yasir Nawaz from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat.

Manmath, a pilot by profession, has quit his job to contest the election against Aparajita, the former IAS officer and incumbent BJP MP for Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat. Manmath, son of Suresh Routray, the Congress MLA from Jatni Assembly segment under Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency, belongs to Paika community. The Paika community has a sizeable number of voters in Khurda, Begunia and Jatni Assembly segments under the Lok Sabha constituency.

Suresh Routray, a six-time Congress MLA from Jatni, was expelled from the Congress and he is now campaigning for his son Manmath.

‘’I am seeking votes showcasing the works done by the BJD government. The State government has constructed roads, parks, bridges, water supply, patta for slum dwellers and many more,’’ Manmath Routray said.

The BJD leader claimed that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will take oath of office for the sixth term and he will win the poll with a good margin. Prasanna Patsani, who was elected from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency in 1998, 2004, 2009 and 2014 on a BJD ticket, belonged to the Paika community. He was denied a BJD ticket in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Aparajita had won from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha in 2019 defeating her BJD rival and former IPS officer Arup Patnaik by a margin of 28,839 votes.

Both BJD and BJP took out campaign rallies in support of their party candidates. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president J P Nadda have conducted two roadshows in Bhubaneswar in support of BJP candidate Aparajita Sarangi.

Veteran Bollywood actor Hema Malini also campaigned for Aparajita in Saliasahi, the biggest slum in Bhubaneswar. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla have also campaigned for Aparajita.

The BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and 5T chairman V K Pandian held roadshows and rallies in support of party nominee Manmath Routray.

The Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge, had addressed a rally in Bhubaneswar. “Bhubaneswar is the capital but the citizens are yet to get basic amenities. A ring road is much needed for the people residing on outskirts of Bhubaneswar. Drainage of rainwater is a major problem in the city,” said Congress candidate Yasir.

The seven Assembly segments under Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency are —Jayadev, Bhubaneswar Central, Bhubaneswar North, Ekamra-Bhubaneswar, Jatni, Begunia and Khurda.

Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency has 16,68,225 voters of which 8,01,092 are female, 8,66,563 male and 570 transgenders. Voting for the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency will be held on May 25.