Modi Cabinet 2.0: All about MoS Pratap Sarangi, who lives in a thatched house, rides a cycle, and has spent a major portion of his MLA pension to support education of poor children

For 64-year-old Pratap Sarangi, who once nurtured desire to be a monk and lives an austere life, his hard work and dedication to people appear to have earned him a berth in new Narendra Modi Government.

BJP leer, who has h a long associating with Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh, me his maiden entry to Lok Sabha by winning from Odisha's Balasore constituency defeating sitting BJD MP and industrialist Rabindra Kumar Jena by 12,956 votes in recent Lok Sabha polls.

A national executive member of BJP, Sarangi was elected to Odisha Assembly twice in 2004 and 2009 from Nilagiri constituency in Balasore district. He h also contested 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Balasore constituency but faced defeat.

However, Sarangi's association with active politics and electoral victories has t affected his lifestyle as he continues to live in a mud and bamboo house and rides a bicycle to most places, even during his earlier poll campaigns. He has dedicated his life to social work and uplift of poor and lives like an ascetic. 

first-time parliamentarian, who is being fondly called as 'Odisha's Modi', has alrey created a buzz in social media where photos show him in his modest house and bathing at vill well.

A bachelor, Sarangi is said to be spending major portion of his MLA pension to support education of poor children in his area.  

After gruating from Fakir Mohan College in Balasore, firebrand leer, who is fluent in Sanskrit, wanted to become a monk of Ramakrishna Math and Mission but math encourd him to eng himself in social work inste.

reafter, he started serving people in and around his vill and got associated with RSS and VHP.

Balasore MP is credited with opening a number of schools for poor children in tribal and remote areas of Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts of state which were devoid of educational facilities.

Sarangi has also functioned as Odisha unit president of Bajrang Dal and spearheed a movement for protection of cows.

In run up to recent elections, Sarangi opted his own style of campaigning, which was in sharp contrast to that of his rivals who h hired professional ncies and campaign manrs. 

Sarangi relied on party workers and moved around in an autorickshaw. newly elected lawmaker is firm that his new status as parliamentarian will t change his lifestyle as he believes in working for people and serving country.