And one of the leaders who helped BJP enter the state of Odisha was Pratap Chandra Sarangi who won from Balasore Lok Sabha Constituency. Sarangi took oath as Minister today.
Lost amid the din of BJP’s juggernaut winning in different areas of India was the incursion of the saffron wave in Odisha – Naveen Patnaik’s fiefdom.
And one of the leaders who helped BJP enter the state of Odisha was Pratap Chandra Sarangi who won from Balasore Lok Sabha Constituency. Sarangi took oath as Minister today.
Newly elected MP from Balasore, Odisha, Pratap Chandra Sarangi takes oath as Minister. #ModiSwearingIn pic.twitter.com/Z3a5lvbFLJ
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2019
Newly-appointed Minister of State Pratap Chandra Sarangi on Friday said he considers politics as a medium to serve the nation.
Sarangi, who took oath on Thursday along with 57 other BJP-led NDA leaders, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for including his name in the list of council of ministers.
"I am fortunate that Prime Minister Modi has trust in me. I consider politics as a medium to serve the nation. Our party stands for nation first, party second and self last. I will try my best to win the trust of Modi ji and the common people," he told ANI.
Earlier today, Sarangi offered prayers at Jagannath temple here in Hauz Khas area, along with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and his wife Mridula.
Before entering into the Lok Sabha, Sarangi was twice elected to the Odisha Assembly in 2004 and 2009 from Balasore parliamentary constituency.
In 2004, he was elected as a BJP candidate in the Odisha assembly. In 2009, the current Balasore MP was elected as an Independent.
1. 'Odisha's Modi'
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Hailed by many commentators as ‘Odisha’s Modi’, he is hailed for being accessible, frugal and from a humble background.
He is also knowns for his straight talk and calling a spade a spade. A fluent orator in both Odia and Sanskrit, the RSS follower is known for riding from village to village on a bicycle.
2. Austere lifestyle
He lives in Nilagiri block of Balasore district and graduated from Fakir Mohan College in Balasore. He chose the life of an ascetic in Ramkrishna Math and did social work in his region. Sarangi returned to his village as a clerk in Nilagari college but quit after he began his association with RSS and VHP.
He won in 2004 as an MLA from Nilagiri on a BJP ticket and then as an independent in 2009. In 2014, he lost to Rabindra Jena of BJP from the Balasore Lok Sabha constituency.
3. Funds for children
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He has also been credited for opening schools in tribal areas and used to live with his mother till last year. He also spent most of his MLA pension to fund education for children.
In the 2019 polls, he swapped an autorickshaw for a cycle and despite having fewer resources beat two of the richest opponents. On the Congress side, he saw off the challenge of Nabajyoti Patnaik whose family owns one of Odisha’s biggest media houses.
4. Sarangi slays big guns
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On the BJD side was industrialist and current sitting MP Rabindra Kumar Sena who is also the proprietor of news channel News World Odisha.
But both of them lost out to Pratap Chandra Sarangi.
