TNI Bureau: Royal Scion ‘Raja Saheb’ Sulakshana Geetanjali Devi, daughter of Nandini Devi of Dharakote royal family, seeks to enter the Odisha Assembly as the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) picked her today for contesting the upcoming elections.

BJD supremo Navee Patnaik named 27-year-old Sulakshana Geetanjali Devi as the party candidate to contest from the Sanakhemundi assembly seat. With this, she will challenge Bahubali leader and sitting MLA Ramesh Chandra Jena, who won from the seat twice in 2009 and 2019.

Geetanjali’s mother Nandini Devi had won the 2014 Sanakhemundi assembly election when Jena was not in fray for the election. She lost the 2019 assembly election despite securing 61,773 votes.

However, this time (for 2024 election) BJD nominated Sulakshana Geetanjali to contest against Ramesh Chandra Jena.

Sulakshana Geetanjali has been active politically and helping her mother for the last 7 years. She is also a Social Worker, who believes in women empowerment.

Besides, Sulakshana Geetanjali is the Chairperson of Dharakote Block and the youngest block Chairperson of Ganjam district.

Gitanjali was crowned the symbolic “king” of Dharakote in 2010 after the death of her father Kishore Chandra Singh Deo.