In one of the more keenly fought contests in the Lok Sabha election this year, politicians of BJP, Congress and other mainstream political parties are carrying out whistle-stop tours across Odisha to reach out to the last voters.

But in Odisha’s mining-rich Keonjhar district, a 72-year-old tribal is using the whistle to make his voice heard. Sudarshan Lohar, who is contesting the elections as a Lok Sabha candidate from the little-known Rashtriya Independent Morcha (RIM), is trying to draw the voters’ attention using a whistle.

Lohar, who was allotted a whistle as an election symbol last week, is trying to make the most of the opportunity by blowing it. A poor farmer, Lohar admits he does not have any resources to match the rich candidates of other mainstream political parties like the BJD and the BJP.

“I want to take the voice of the public of Keonjhar to Parliament. No candidate talks about the real issues of tribals. I don’t have vehicles to go around. So I am blowing this whistle to make people aware of my objective and inform them about the symbol they should vote for,” said Lohar, who moves door-to-door while blowing his whistle hard to draw the attention of the people.

“When people go out to vote, they will remember me from my whistle,” said Lohar, who has contested elections twice in the past.

People in Keonjhar are as much amused as they are surprised seeing a candidate whistle around. “It’s a little irritating, but still the whistling is much better than the cacophony of the blaring loudspeakers,” said Mita Sahu, a housewife.