After cine stars, sports personalities and celebrities, IIT alumni and pilots are testing their electoral fortunes in the ensuing polls in which the issue of lack of development will decide the candidates' fates.
Satyabrata Prusty is an IIT alumnus to have plunged into the poll ring this time in Odisha. The 1999 passout IIT, New Delhi, Prusty is in the fray in Korei assembly constituency on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket.
The 37-year-old left his job in the software sector after being inspired by Arvind Kejriwal and joined in AAP last year.
"BJD has failed to provide basic amenities like safe drinking water, health care facilities and roads in the last 14 years," said Prusty, who is hoping to garner votes of youths and the intelligentsia. He also raised questions on unemployment.
"I realised its high time intellectuals and professionals enter politics and clean the mess. Unless people with honesty and integrity are elected to state assembly, the situation will not improve," he said.
The ruling BJD has fielded cine star Akash Das Nayak, who is a political greenhorn and Congress has nominated a new face Biswajit Nayak. BJP has put up former legislator Sanchita Mohanty. Besides, six other candidates are in the poll fray.
Another candidate Rajnarayan Mohapatra, who is in the reckoning as an independent, is a pilot by profession. He has studied in NASA in USA and served as a pilot in Spring Texla America in four years. Besides, he also served in private Airlines like Air Deccan, Kingfisher and Indigo as pilot for ten years.
The 38-year-old comes from a political family and his father Sitakanta Mohapatra was former Barachana legislator.
Mohapatra gave up his pilot's job last month and entered the fray from Barachana after his father was denied a Congress ticket this time.
He will take on BJD MLA Amar Prasad Satpathy and is banking on the strong organisation and popularity of his father.
"My father has done many things for Barachana during his tenure as MLA and minister. Besides, he has a strong organisational base. He is canvassing in my favour and I will win this election," he said.
