Youngest LS MP had a dramatic entry into politics

Of the 21 ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) nominees who contested the recently held Lok Sabha elections in Odisha, some were personally picked party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to contest the landmark polls.

One among them was Chandrani Murmu, who is all set to enter the new Lok Sabha as its youngest member.

The young, 25-year-old tribal lady, with no previous experience in politics, won the reserved Keonjhar Lok Sabha seat in north Odisha, defeating a seasoned politico, Ananta Nayak, a two-time MP from the tribal-dominated seat, by a comfortable margin of more than 60,000 votes.

“I am 25 years and 11 months old to be precise. It is a proud moment for me to get an opportunity at such a young age to serve my people. I am indebted to Chief Minister Mr Patnaik for giving me an opportunity,” Chandra said, in an interview after the elections.

Chandrani, the grand-daughter of a former MP, was always interested in politics. Her maternal grandfather, Harihara Soren, was a Congress MP from Keonjhar for two terms between 1980 and 1989. However, she never thought that she would enter politics so early in her life and even that she would be an MP. In fact, her foray into the political field was sudden and dramatic.

An engineering graduate from a Bhubaneswar-based private technology institute, she was looking for a job, like any girl her age when she received a call from Naveen Niwas, the residence of Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar, scheduling a meeting with the chief minister.

This was in the month of April, when the ruling regional outfit was in the process of finalising its candidates for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

An hour-long interview with Patnaik and she was declared the regional outfit’s nominee for Koenjhar Lok Sabha seat, much to the surprise of many analysts as well as leaders within BJD.

However, not everything has been smooth for the young MP. Just days after she was declared the BJD candidate, an obscene video with her morphed image went viral on social media. After launching an investigation, police arrested five persons in connection with the case.

Speaking about her plans for the district, the newly elected MP has said that the industrialisation of Keonjhar — a mineral-rich district — and the creation of jobs for the local youth would be her priority.