JAGATSINGHPUR: BJD leaders and workers of Balikuda-Erasama Assembly constituency on Wednesday went into celebrations after first-time MLA Raghunandan Das got a berth in the new Naveen Patnaik Ministry.
In the 21-member Council of Ministers, there are 10 new faces, including Das, who got Water Resources and Information and Public Relations portfolios. A lawyer by profession and a former BJP leader, Das won the seat by securing 1,03,814 votes while Congress candidate Lalatendu Mohapatra and BJP nominee Damodar Rout got 49,239 and 37,611 votes respectively.
Das’s father Bipin Bihari had represented the seat in 1961. After 58 years, his son created history by getting a ministerial berth in the Naveen’s new Government. In 2014, Das had unsuccessfully contested from the seat as an Independent candidate. Rout had won the seat for five times in 1977, 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2004 before bifurcation of the Assembly constituency in 2009.
“I thank Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the people of my constituency for reposing faith on me to serve Balikuda and Erasama. I will make all efforts for all round development of the constituency and the State,” said Das.
Expressing happiness over Das’s success, Balikuda BJD unit president Ratnkar Nayak said, “We are extremely happy that Das, in his first term, has got a ministerial berth in the BJD Government due to his simplicity and clean image. Das was associated with several organisations. Earlier, Das was also the chairman of Odisha State Poultry Products Co-operative Marketing Federation Ltd (OPOLFED).”
Trade union leader Nirvya Samantray also congratulated Das on the occasion.