Politics is no longer a murky world for professionals in Odisha. Contrary to the common belief that the white-collared men have a disdain for politics, 2019 elections witnessed a record participation of professionals in the State. According to the statistics released by Odisha Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), as many as 29 graduate professionals, including one IITian and an NITian have been elected to the 16th Legislative Assembly.
This apart, 32 graduates, 36 postgraduates and four with doctorate degree have become lawmakers. This is for the first time that 101 legislators in the 147-member House are graduates or have more academic qualification. IIT-Kharagpur alumnus Tusharkanti Behera, who won from Kakatpur Assembly segment to become the Minister for Electronics and Information Technology as well as Sports and Youth Services, said it is a healthy indication that more professionals or qualified persons are joining politics.  
“More professionals with skills and qualifications must come into politics even if they lack political background. If you are concerned about the future of the State, get involved in politics and serve people,” he said. This time, several political parties had roped in professionals from different backgrounds for campaign strategy and data analytics, a trend which was hardly seen before. Some professionals were also made spokespersons of parties for their debating skills and distinct narration.