Daily chores in most households in the twin cities have been hit hard following the exodus of maids, helps and labourers to their hometowns to cast their votes.
“This is one reason I hate poll time. My house is a wreck without the maid. But, she has been off for the last week. The polls are already over at her village somewhere in Rayagada, but she has now stretched her leave on the pretext of fever,” said Nanda.
The first phase of polling took place in 10 Lok Sabha and 70 Assembly constituencies, mostly located in the Maoist-affected, tribal heartland of KBK, which houses most of the migrant workers in the city.
The second phase polling in the remaining 11 Lok Sabha and 77 Assembly seats will be held on April 17.
Nayapalli is one of the worst-hit areas in Bhubaneswar. Soumya Ranjan Behera, a retired health official, said that Salia Sahi, the biggest slum in the city, supplies maids to most houses in the area.
“Ever since the communal tension in Kandhamal and Phulbani, many poor families from these districts had settled in these slums and started working as housemaids for the past few years,” said Behera.
These migrant women work not only as maids, but also as cooks, baby sitters, gardeners and so on.
“The maid and the cook had both left for their home. While the maid came back yesterday, the cook is yet to return. Our cook stays at Malkangiri. She said it would take another week before things got normal and she returned to Bhubaneswar,” said Simran Kaur, a Nayapalli resident.
“It is a serious botheration for us. The government must make arrangements, so that these people are allowed to vote anywhere without having to travel all the distance. The technology has advanced so much that it is not an impossible task,” she said.
Rachana, a babysitter who has just returned from Nabarangpur after casting her vote, said: “Voting is a big affair at our village. There are street plays and visits by cine stars and TV soap artistes. Even the ministers make visits to our houses, and if you are lucky enough you get gifts, too. My husband knows the names of the contestant and I vote by the symbol.”
