Berhampur: All eyes are now set on the upcoming urban polls which are scheduled to be held March 24 for which the parties have intensified their campaigns. However, it is Rabindra Panigrahi, a wheelchair-bound differently-abled man, who has caught the attention of all the voters.
Panigrahi, who is contesting for the post of councillor from ward no-10 of Hinjilicut Municipality in Ganjam district, is winning hearts with his determination and willpower to serve the people of the locality.
Panigrahi was born with his legs paralysed. But, as he grew up, his determination overpowered his disability.
“Disability cannot be a disadvantage if my determination is strong and I am committed to the cause of the local people,” said Panigrahi. He wants to prove that physical deficiency is no hindrance to serving the people.
“One can move mountains, all that he/she needs is faith in self,” he added.
“I would like to fight for the rights of the physically challenged. At the same time, I will take up the ward’s problems if people elect me. My disability is not my weakness, it is my strength,” he stated.
Sitting on a tricycle, Panigrahi is campaigning for himself moving door-to-door. A small crowd and his well-wishers accompany him as he moves on the dusty lanes of Hinjilicut town.
“Voters are impressed with his guts and self-confidence. Initially, we thought he would confine himself to his house because of his immobility. But, now people are beginning to appreciate his zest and willpower after he began campaigning on the wheelchair,” a local resident said.
“Rabindra’s entry in the election field has added a refreshing air into to the poll firmament. He has become a living example that nothing is impossible,” another voter said.
