Newly sworn-in Cabinet minister Sarangi

Union Minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi: I am fortunate that PM Modi has placed his trust in me & I consider politics… https://t.co/kGw6UAoAE0 — ANI (@ANI) 1559282852000

Pratap Chandra Sarangi

BHUBANESWAR: Pratap Chandra Sarangi is an unlikely politician. A bachelor who lives in a thatched house, rides a bicycle and leads a simple life, the 64-year-old MP from Balasore took oath on Thursday as a minister of state in the Modi government."My lifestyle has been like this since childhood. It is not going to change with power. I believe in meeting the basic needs of life and working for the people and the country," Sarangi had told TOI earlier this week.Sarangi defeated two high-profile candidates in Balasore - outgoing BJD MP and industrialist Rabindra Jena, as well as Nabajyoti Patnaik, son of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Nirajan Patnaik. Both were also among the state's richest MP candidates. He became MLA twice from Nilgiri in 2004 and 2009.The Brahmin Sarangi, who calls himself a footsoldier of Modi, attributes his victory to his commitment, integrity and simplicity. Fondly called 'Nana' and revered like an older brother, he was the state president of Bajrang Dal. In the Eighties, he had started many Ekal Vidyalayas (village schools with a single local teacher) in the interiors of the state. These single-teacher schools, which take in students up to Class III or V, are run by the educated youth of the concerned villages. The teachers' salary is collected by the villagers.Sarangi has been living alone ever since his mother passed away last year but his humble house is invariably crowded with supporters.Always seen in a pair of white cotton kurta-pyjamas, Sarangi's campaigning style was also markedly different. While his contestants had a fleet of SUVs to traverse the constituency and hired professional campaign managers and election management agencies, Sarangi conducted auto-rickshaw rallies.BJP's general secretary Ram Madhav in a tweet on the newly elected MoS said, "Salute to the indomitable spirit of the RSS man."Political analysts said Sarangi's inclusion in the central council of ministers was aided by his RSS background. "Of all the BJP MPs from Odisha, he was the most obvious choice. Apart from his RSS background, his legislative career was also better than that of the others," said Surya Narayan Mishra, former professor of political science in Utkal University .Read this story in Marathi