Damayanti Manjhi became the youngest deputy mayor of Cuttack: Father is no more, mother is a daily wage worker, M.Com student won the election in the very first time

The destination comes to those who have life in their dreams. Nothing happens with wings, there is flight with courage.. This proverb has been realized by Damayanti Manjhi, who grew up in a slum in Cuttack, Odisha. Damayanti Manjhi, 21, contested the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) election and won to become the youngest deputy mayor. It’s all like a dream for Damayanti and her mother, they didn’t expect it, so they can’t believe it.

Contested elections for the first time and became Deputy Mayor by winning
Damayanti, who belongs to the Santhali tribe, lives in the Jagatpur Balisahi slum of Cuttack. Damayanti Manjhi had won the municipal election on March 24 from ward number 49 as a candidate of Biju Janata Dal. After this, members of the opposition BJP and Congress staged a walkout in protest against the modalities of conducting the elections, after which Daymanti was made the deputy mayor on 7 April.

Will have to come forward for change, just thinking about this nomination was done
The Indian Express talks to Damayanti Manjhi after becoming the youngest deputy mayor. During this, Damayanti told that politics was never my first choice. Winning the election in the first instance and then becoming the deputy mayor of Cuttack, I had never imagined, so for me it is all like a dream. I had never even participated in any political activity before, but I felt that I had to come forward to change my life and the lives of people like me. I can do it, only with this belief I had nominated in the election.

Father is no more, mother is a daily wage worker
She is currently a final year student of M.Com at Renshaw University. Damayanti hails from a laboring family. He runs his house on daily wages. In the year 2017, Damayanti’s father Shyamsundar Manjhi died due to drowning in the river. Since then, she has been taking up the responsibility of running the house along with her mother and raising her two younger siblings. Along with this, she is also doing her own studies.

Mountain struggle in short life
Damayanti says that after her father’s shadow got up from her head, the mother started working as a daily wage laborer. I had to bear the responsibility of looking after the house and my brothers and sisters. I have seen the struggle of life very closely in this short life of mine. However, I also knew that I myself had to be an example to my brothers and sisters. To improve the condition of your family, you will have to study further so that those people also move forward and do something to improve their life. However, this road was not easy. I teach tuition to the children around me for two meals and to pay the college fees.

Damayanti says that I found out about the reserved seat for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates in my ward in the Cuttack Municipal Corporation elections. After this he spoke to the local leaders of BJD. A few days later the party approached me to make it its candidate. I am thankful to the party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for reposing faith in me. The Chief Minister’s vision for the state has always inspired me to do something.

Young Deputy Mayor started work
After becoming the deputy mayor, Damayanti has started working on her planning for the development works of Cuttack. Damayanti says that in the next 5 years, I will do development work in the interest of the people living in total 59 wards of Cuttack Municipal Corporation. The people of the city have entrusted me with such a big responsibility. Of course, I lack experience in politics, but I will work hard and try my best to live up to the standards of the residents.

She further says that there is a lot to do in the city, I want to work on all of them, but first of all I want to work on improving the living conditions of the slum dwellers. Since childhood, I have been seeing the basic needs of the slum dwellers. So, first of all, I want to ensure basic amenities like drinking water and electricity in the slum area.