By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Only 64.96 % polling recorded in first phase of voting in Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s home turf southern district of Ganjam in the Odisha Panchayat and Zilla Parishad polls, in which 77.2% voting recorded across the State. Ganjam recorded lowest voting in comparison to other districts and ruling party BJD strongholds.
With huge migration from Ganjam to other States, polling seems largely hit in Chief Minister’s stronghold in the first phase after the State Election Commission released its districts wise report on February 16 polling. Boudh tops the list with 84.7% followed by Deogarh 83.75 % , Angul, home turf of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan reported with 82.6 % and Jharsuguda 82.1%.
Sources said, with COVID-19 on decline, a large number people, mostly migrant workers of Ganjam, have started returning their work place, which impacted on voting for rural polls . Migrants have always played an important role in elections in Ganjam as over seven lakh people from Olsara, Beguniapada, Khallikote, Hinjilicut, Aska, Sanakhemundi, Kabisuryanagar, Chikiti and Patrapur blocks work in diamond polishing units and cotton mills in the these states.
There are two reasons why workers are returning to cities like Surat. For one, Odisha was ill-prepared to retain its returning workers, especially poor districts like Ganjam, Bolangir, Koraput and Kalahandi, leaving workers with no employment options in their hometowns. Secondly, the festival and wedding season in India that lasts October-December is boom time in cities like Surat where the textile industry generates plenty of seasonal job opportunities.
Some says Migrant workers from Ganjam in Surat is close to 800,000 while others pegged their number at 600,000. The migration of young male workers from Ganjam started in the early 1980s as workers who lost their jobs in Kolkata’s jute mills moved to Surat through informal social networks of relatives and friends.
