Bhubaneswar: When BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced at a public rally in Kendrapara on March 10 that Odisha will field 33 per cent women candidates in the Lok Sabha elections, many were left scratching their heads over availability of such candidates, considering the party’s benchmark for selection – winnability.
The master of surprises did spring a few in the first list of candidates announced for nine of 21 Lok Sabha polls on Monday. Barring Kalikesh Singh Deo, he fielded new faces in eight of the nine Lok Sabha seats. Two among them, Chandra Shekar Sahu and Sunita Biswal, have been imported from other parties. He also stuck to his promise of 33 per cent women’s representation as three among the nine candidates – Kausalya Hikaka (Koraput), Sunita Biswal (Sundargarh) and Pramila Bisoi (Aska) – are women.
But the name that stood out was of Pramila Bisoi, whom Naveen has fielded from Aska Lok Sabha seat, thrice represented by his father Biju Patnaik. In fact, Naveen himself had started his political career from there 20 years ago.
While Kausalya is the wife of sitting Koraput MP Jhina Hikaka and Sunita is the daughter of former Odisha Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal, Pramila is a grassroots-level worker associated with the Satsang self-help group at Nalabanta in Ganjam district. Under her leadership, the SHG has been providing midday meals to schoolchildren of Chermaria Upper Primary School.
By picking a rural woman, the BJD president has once again exhibited his propensity to play the women’s card, while building on an independent constituency he has carved with six lakh women SHGs with the government’s Mission Shakti programme since 2001.
It also boost his image of one championing the cause of women’s empowerment.
Naveen has long been pushing to provide women their rightful place in the decision-making process. With Pramila, he sends out this message loud and clear.
“In a humble tribute to the lakhs of women in our Mission Shakti movement, I have declared Pramila Bisoi, SHG leader in Nalabanta village of Aska, the BJD candidate for Aska Lok Sabha constituency,” he said while announcing her candidature.
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Hailing from a humble background, Pramila has been working tirelessly in her area for the welfare of women in particular and for the local communities in general. She has been involved in awareness campaigns among women for toilets, safe drinking water, institutional delivery, vaccination, piped-water supply to SHGs, plantation, protection of peacocks at Pakidi Hills near her village. She has also contributed to encouraging children in her area to join schools and anganwadi centres. Because of her tireless efforts, Chermaria village has become open defecation-free.
Her hard work for protection of the environment have won her several accolades, including the prestigious Prakriti Bandhu and Prakriti Mitra awards given by the forest and environment department of Odisha government. She has also received awards for leading NGO Gram Vikash and was felicitated as a poet at the BJD’s Mahila Samabesh at Baragaon GP in Aska block in 2018.
She is married to Banchhanidhi Bisoi. The couple have four children. Son Dilip runs a tea stall at Cheramaria and Ranjan has a two-wheeler garage at Chermaria. The sons and daughters, Runu and Sulata, are all married. The family has less than an acre of agricultural land, where they grow paddy and ragi. Their estimated monthly income ranges between Rs 10,000 and Rs 12,000.
