New Delhi: He was greeted with a loud cheer and a standing ovation just before being administered the oath of office and secrecy as Union Minister of State by President Ram Nath Kovind. We are talking about BJP MP from Balasore, Pratap Chandra Sarangi, who, besides Dharmendra Pradhan from Odisha, secured a berth in the Narendra Modi 2.0 team.
Sarangi had become a social media sensation after a photo of him packing his bags in his bamboo hut for Delhi after winning the 2019 Lok Sabha election went viral. Twitter was flooded with images of his austere life, with him riding a bicycle and standing in front of his kuchcha house. He was exhorted as the Modi of Odisha, since he never married and lived with his mother, till she died last year.
Known for his humble background and frugal living, he created the biggest upsets this election. Two-time BJP MLA from Nilagiri Assembly segment, he was pitted against two millionaires – Nabajyoti Patnaik of Congress and outgoing BJD MP Rabindra Kumar Jena. He defeated the latter by 12,956 votes.
In 2014, he had lost the seat to Jena by 1.42 lakh votes.
This election, Sarangi was seen seeking votes in hired auto rickshaws. Incidentally, Modi had also campaigned for him in Balasore.
