Workers, students leave city to cast their votes back home

Bhubaneswar: Many who stay in the smart city left for their native places to vote as Odisha gears up for the second phase of polls on Thursday. Five Lok Sabha constituencies — Aska, Bargarh, Balangir, Sundargarh and Kandhamal — and 35 assembly segments under them go to polls on Thursday.
People of these constituencies who reside in Bhubaneswar for work or study, also known as the city’s floating population, have gone back to cast their precious votes .

Ashok Singh, a native of Balangir, whose wife works here as a nutritionist in a city hospital, said he reserved bus tickets in advance anticipating a rush. “I live in Bhubaneswar but my name appeared in the electoral roll in Balangir. Like 2014, I am going to my native place to vote,” Ashok added.

As it’s a one-day affair, voters have also booked their return tickets. Most people travel by buses. “The rush in booking buses leaving from Bhubaneswar could be seen just a day before the polls. The night express buses leave for major towns,” said Amit Sahu, a bus owner.

Many from the floating population, who stay in rented accommodations here, don’t have their names on the Bhubaneswar’s voters’ list as they had settled in the city either after getting a job or were transferred. “I have stayed here for more than two decades. During the voters’ list enumeration, the personnel paid door-to-door visits but I refused to get enrolled here as I already have my name elsewhere,” said Sadananda Bhoi, who is a government employee.

Odisha Election Watch coordinator Ranjan Mohanty said this time there’s more enthusiasm among the voters.