Good reputation his talisman

BALASORE: Here is a sarpanch candidate who neither needs any star campaigner to canvass for him nor has put up any poster to display his election symbol. A good reputation is his talisman. Meet Manibhadra Mallick of Kayani panchayat under Bahanaga block of Balasore district. He is one among the four candidates contesting for the post of sarpanch in Kalyani, comprising 25 wards. Not vying for the support of any political outfit, he is fighting the battle himself. The 58-year-old member of a local fishing community, Manibhadra canvasses by going on foot from village to village. He has covered five villages till the last day of the campaigning. Where does he get all the energy from? It is the ‘potli’ of food that he carries with him during the campaign. “I pack cooked rice, fried dry-fish and ‘saga’ in a bowl and without taking rest I start my campaign after lunch,” said Mani, as he is fondly known. He says “if I win the poll, I will form a unique ward council and work for the development of the poor and downtrodden”. With only a few decimals of homestead land to claim as his property and two of his four sons, working as rickshaw-puller and home guard, all he believes in is his reputation. Manibhadra has, in fact, created ripples by his helping nature and is attracting attention through his distinctive style of canvassing.