Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, a member of royal family of Balangir, has been elected from Balangir Lok Sabha constituency. A senior leader of BJP, she is a member of the National Executive of the party. Sangeeta had won from the constituency in 1998, 1999 and 2000. She lost the polls in 2009 and 2014 to her husband K V Singh Deo’s cousin Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo of BJD. However, Sangeeta wrested the seat from Kalikesh this time by a margin of 19,516 votes. Sangeeta has been focusing on women’s empowerment and development of Balangir district which despite being represented by its royal family, has been languishing in neglect with a majority of the youth from the area migrating to other States in search of jobs.
TNIE spoke to the MP about her struggles and aspirations for the constituency. Excerpts:
What helped you win from the constituency?
My hard work and that of my party workers and of course Modi wave. I have been working hard for the last three years in the constituency and this bore fruit as people once again gave me the opportunity to represent them in the lower House of Parliament.
Balangir is one of the poorest districts. What are your plans to develop it?
There are a lot of issues which need to be addressed in the area and owing to absence of industrialisation, agriculture remains the primary source of income for the people of the district. I will focus on improving the irrigation system in the area and for this purpose work on the Lower Suktel project needs to be taken up on a priority basis. Another issue which needs to be addressed is distress migration. I will work to generate jobs in the district so that the youngsters do not have to venture out of the State. As a grandmother, mother and daughter, I realise the problems faced by women. I will focus on empowering women so as to make them financially independent.
What are other issues that need urgent attention?
The vital issues are those related to connectivity. Work on Balangir by-pass, Sonepur ring road and Patnagarh by-pass need to be started urgently to improve connectivity in the district. Besides, work on Khurda-Balangir railway line also needs to be started as soon as possible. Implementation of projects does not depend on sanction of funds by the Centre. The issue of land acquisition, which is under the purview of the State Government, needs to be addressed. Important projects are delayed due to delay in acquisition of land.
Being a four-time MP, will you be given a berth in Modi Cabinet?
There is no limit to a human being’s aspirations and why would anyone not love to accept such an offer? But it is up to the Prime Minister to choose his team. There are other considerations such as accommodating BJP’s alliance partners.
You got maximum votes from Kantabanji and Loisingha. Do you have any specific plans for these areas?
I had started my political career from Kantabanji. I will focus on developing the area. However, my objective would be to ensure overall development of the district.