CUTTACK: Clad in dhoti, kurta with a Gandhi cap on his head, 70-year-old Bishnu Charan Das, who is contesting the polls as a candidate of Kalinga Sena from Salepur-Tangi Assembly segment, has embarked on modest door-to-door campaigning on his bicycle.
In a far cry from decorated vehicles, loudspeakers, posters and banners, the Gandhian has been moving from village to village on his bicycle to convince people to vote for him. His sole campaign tool is a packet of push cards. Das hands over the cards to the voters while singing songs and parodies penned by him at their doorsteps.
Since it is tough to knock the doors of more than 2 lakh voters belonging to 33-gram panchayats of Salepur block and 13 of Tangi-Choudwar block, Das prefers campaigning at prominent intersections. Voters from nearby localities rush to the spot where the septuagenarian sings parodies like ‘He Nabina Pachha Ku Ana, Pachhare Jagichhi Kalinga Sena’.
Das says he believes in ‘eco-friendly’ campaign without any hullabaloo or sloganeering. “I prefer a simple and non-corrupt way of campaigning. I am not trying to influence voters by any other means,” he said. A resident of Khaipadia under Salagan gram panchayat of Tangi-Choudwar block, Das started his campaign around two weeks back.
The Gandhian who has been involved in various social programmes and active in politics for the last 45 years says he had worked with former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik and campaigned for him in Choudwar. He has also been instrumental in intensifying ‘OTM Banchao Sangram’ and Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev’s revolution against black money in the locality.
A former sarpanch of Salagan Gram Panchayat, Das was arrested and jailed 10 times for participating in different social revolutions during his 45-year-long political carrier. “The voters are appreciating my candidature and have assured to support me,” he said.