Bhubaneswar, May 13: With a broad range of security arrangements in place, four Lok Sabha seats and 28 Assembly segments under them went to the polls in the first phase of elections in Odisha today.
Voters in large numbers including women, differently-abled, and senior citizens beelined at the polling booths across the state to exercise their franchise and decide the political fate of the contesting candidates.
‘Prameya English’ interacted with some of the voters to know about their preferences and moods as well their expectations from the government.
“I voted for the first time and I feel proud that I have participated in the electoral process of formation of governments in the Centre and Odisha. Whoever forms the government, it should work for the development of the country and betterment of the society. I expect the new government to fight against corruption and unemployment by taking strict measures,” said a voter in Kalahandi
“Before coming to the polling booth, I went to temple and prayed for a majority government in the Centre as well as in Odisha. I strongly believe that people should vote for the candidate and not the party, because he or she will be the one who will work for your area. Prices of all the necessary items are going up and we are facing a lot of difficulties due to this. I expect the upcoming government to tackle the inflation by implementing necessary steps. It will bring much relief to middle class families,” said Malati Murmu of Nabarangpur
Priyanka Das, a voter from Berhampur in Odisha, was spotted patiently waiting in line with her six-month-old baby, expressing her desire for a government free from corruption.
“I want our leader to address our problems and solve them at the earliest. I have seen candidates making tall claims about everything and making promises which might be impossible to achieve in the said time. So we don’t want that. We want leaders to be corruption free and treat Berhampur as their own home and work for its development selflessly. We want the approved projects to be completed on time. Different welfare schemes should be implemented properly and its benefits should reach every beneficiary and no one should be deprived of it, said Priyanka.
Sabita Pradhan, a 73-year-old differently-abled woman who was going to cast her vote on a wheelchair in Koraput, said “I urge everyone to come and vote so that the wrong person doesn’t win. Once in five years, we get chance to participate in the formation of governments. We should utilise this chance and select good people who will fight against corruption and work for the development of the country. Roads to our village are not good for which I faced a lot of difficulties in coming to the booth. I expect the upcoming government to improve the roads which will solve a lot of problems.”
Notably, the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Odisha will be held simultaneously in four phases -- May 13, 20, 25, and June 1. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.
