‘People’s positivity & warmth make me confident of winning’

Former IAS officer Aparajita Sarangi, the BJP candidate for Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat, filed her nomination papers on Thursday. She tells Minati Singha about her life as a politician and the problems affecting people in the state.
How confident are you of winning the election?

God willing yes, why not. The kind of support, love and response is very motivating and encouraging.

Tell us about your campaigning...

At present, I am busy understanding the people’s problems and learning about my constituency. I want to be in control the day I am elected as an MP. Then I don’t want to spend my time understanding the problems, and would rather try and resolve them.

Is your previous job as an administrator helping you in your political journey?

I know many people here and they also know me. I have covered 192 villages and 85 urban wards of my constituency in the last three months. I am trying to cover most of them by the end of my campaign.

What are the issues that are affecting you?

One of the major issues I find everywhere is corruption and people are very aggrieved with it. The second is unemployment. These two issues stare you in the face even as poverty is writ large on the faces of people living close to Bhubaneswar in villages like Jatni, Begunia, Bolgarh, Balianta and Baliapatna.

Is there a difference in people’s response to you now that your are a politician?

People are more open now. They are able to relate with me more as a politician and share their problems with me. There is a fantastic connect with people. For the positivity and warmth I am getting from people I am very confident of my winning.

Have you changed after joining politics?

Not at all. I am always a pro-people person. I remember when the first vending zone was coming up at Power House Square, I sat with the vendors till 8 pm in the night. I don’t think much has changed for me as a person. Politics has provided me a larger canvas and platform to serve the people.