Sarojini Hembram first woman MLA from Odisha elected to RS

Baripada (

), Feb 8: With the election of Odisha minister Sarojini Hembram to the

, she has become the first woman

from the state to be elected to the Upper House of the Parliament before the end of her five-year tenure as a member of the Odisha Assembly.

54-year-old Hembram was declared elected to the Upper House of the Parliament yesterday along with BJD's Kalpataru Das, Anang Udaya Singh Deo and Congress' Ranjib Biswal.

Hembram, who holds a Master's degree in music, is the only ST woman among 108 BJD MLAs in the present government led by Naveen Patnaik. Before her, Congress' Sushila Tiria was elected twice to the Rajya Sabha and as many times to the Lok Sabha from Mayurbhanj district and is now a CWC member.

Like her father Chaitanya Prasad Majhi, who was a member of the Upper House between 1972-78, Hembram also quit a government job in 2009 to join politics and was elected to the Odisha Assembly from Bangiriposihi (ST) constituency unseating three-time MLA JMM heavy weight Sudam Marandi.

PTI