7 Ganjam MLAs started from panchayats

Berhampur: At least seven of 13 incumbent MLAs of Ganjam district started their political career from panchayat elections. State environment and forest minister Bikram Keshari Arukh had been elected the chairman of the panchayat samiti, Bhanjanagar, in 1992.
Manjula Swain, the first-time BJD MLA of Aska, was the two-time chairperson in the Kabisurya Nagar panchayat samiti from 2002 to 2012.Latika Pradhan, BJD MLA from Kabisurya Nagar, had been elected the chairperson of Sheragada block in 1997.
Ramesh Chandra Jena, the two-time Congress MLA of Sanakhemundi, had been elected the chairman of Sanakhemundi block from 2007 to 2009. Srikant Sahu, the two-time BJD MLA from Polsara, had been elected sarpanch and samiti member from 2002 to 2014 from the Hatiota panchayat.
Subash Behera, the first-time BJD MLA from Chhatrapur, started his career as sarpanch from the Narendrapur panchayat in 2007. Before being elected a BJD MLA from Khallikote in the 2019 assembly elections, Suryamani Baidya was the samiti member of the Keshapur panchyat.