BHUBANESWAR: The Lok Sabha will have its youngest ever member from Odisha. The 25-year-old engineering graduate Chandrani Murmu will step into the hallowed halls of the Parliament from tribal-dominated Keonjhar.
Chandrani, who has been elected as BJD MP from Keonjhar seat, will replace Dushyant Chautala as the youngest Parliamentarian of the country. Dushyant had been elected to the 16th Lok Sabha from Hisar seat at an age of 26.
A mechanical engineer, Chandrani was a surprise choice by BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik in this election. The BJD’s youngest candidate in its 19-year rule was pitted against two-time MP from BJP Ananta Nayak. She defeated Nayak by a margin of 66,203 votes.
“I was in search of a job after completing my engineering degree from a private college in Bhubaneswar. My nomination was unexpected. I am grateful to BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for giving me the opportunity and keeping faith on me,” she said.
Grand-daughter of two-time Congress MP Harihar Soren, she had the political genes. And no sooner did she get a chance, she jumped into the dust and rumble of campaigning. She covered all seven Assembly segments under the Lok Sabha seat in a record 20 days.
Chandrani, who claims to have inherited qualities of her maternal grand-father in serving people, is hopeful that she would live up to the expectations of youths and women besides the tribals of her region. As a young gun in politics, she believes in faster delivery mechanism instead of making promises.
“It is unfortunate that the employment crisis is high in a mineral-rich district like Keonjhar. My prime focus will be to facilitate new industries to set up their units and generate employment. I would represent the youths and women of my State at the Centre,” she maintained.
BJD’s new face for the prestigious Lok Sabha constituency, Chandrani was deeply hurt by the slanderous campaign by the opposition which circulated obscene video on social media by allegedly morphing her images. “I think the verdict threw eggs on their faces,” she said.
Keonjhar Lok Sabha constituency, which had sent non-Congress MPs nine times to Parliament, witnessed a two-corner fight this time. Congress had won the seat six times, the last in 1996 and BJP won thrice when in alliance with BJD from 1998 to 2004. The BJD has won the last two elections.