‘Odisha’s Modi’ Pratap Sarangi secures ministerial berth in PM Modi’s Cabinet

Sambad English Bureau Published On : May 30, 2019 at 9:09 PM Updated On : May 30, 2019 at 9:36 PM

Bhubaneswar: Pratap Chandra Sarangi, a first-time BJP MP from Balasore in Odisha, whom several Facebook and Twitter users called him Odisha’s Narendra Modi for his austere lifestyle, has become part of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new government.

The 64-year-old school teacher-turned-politician, loved by the masses for his selfless service and respected around the state for his honesty, took oath as a Union Minister in a glitzy ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan today ending days of speculations whether he is getting a berth in Modi’s Cabinet.

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Sarangi, who comes from a very humble background and known as a firebrand orator both in Odia and Sanskrit, defeated two richest candidates (BJD’s Rabindra Kumar Jena and Deb Jyoti Patnaik of Congress) from Balasore Lok Sabha seat. He won by 12, 965 votes.

A member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Sarangi was first elected to Odisha Assembly on a BJP ticket from Nilgiri in 2004 and then again in 2009. He had contested from Balasore Lok Sabha in 2014 but lost to BJD’s Rabindra Jena.

In the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections in the state, the BJD won 12 seats, the BJP 8 and the Congress one.