BHUBANESWAR: Sudarshan Haripal‘s journey has been remarkable, transitioning from a humble beginning of pasting posters on walls to now being a poster boy after BJD fielded him from Rengali assembly seat.
Sharing his experiences, the 42-year-old said his joining politics was situational. “A hand pump had broken down in my locality in Goashala village in 2012.I reached out to every official, but none helped. Then my father sent me to a politician. I approached him and by evening, the hand pump was repaired. From that incident, I deeply felt the power of politics. I realised I can serve society as a politician. Service and politics are closely knit,” said the Class XII passout.
Grabbing whatever opportunities that came his way, Haripal contested the last panchayat election in 2022 and won as a zilla parishad member. His selection for the assembly election by BJD was a surprise for him. “I was not expecting a ticket, nor did I know that I was getting it. It was a sudden call from the party office, informing me that I am the candidate from Rengali assembly seat,” Haripal told TOI. “Before I started working as a member of Biju Yuba Janata Dal in 2012, I used to put up banners of BJD at various places to earn some money, around Rs 200 to Rs 500 per day,” said Haripal, whose father Debraj Haripal (63) is a daily wage earner.
Sharing his experiences, the 42-year-old said his joining politics was situational. “A hand pump had broken down in my locality in Goashala village in 2012.I reached out to every official, but none helped. Then my father sent me to a politician. I approached him and by evening, the hand pump was repaired. From that incident, I deeply felt the power of politics. I realised I can serve society as a politician. Service and politics are closely knit,” said the Class XII passout.
Grabbing whatever opportunities that came his way, Haripal contested the last panchayat election in 2022 and won as a zilla parishad member. His selection for the assembly election by BJD was a surprise for him. “I was not expecting a ticket, nor did I know that I was getting it. It was a sudden call from the party office, informing me that I am the candidate from Rengali assembly seat,” Haripal told TOI. “Before I started working as a member of Biju Yuba Janata Dal in 2012, I used to put up banners of BJD at various places to earn some money, around Rs 200 to Rs 500 per day,” said Haripal, whose father Debraj Haripal (63) is a daily wage earner.