Bhubaneswar/IBNS: Upasana Mohapatra, 26, has turned out to be the youngest MLA in the Odisha assembly after she won on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket in the 2024 state polls.

Upasna joined politics after the death of her father Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra, who was an MLA from Brahmagiri.

The youngest MLA, who succeeded her uncle Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra in Brahmagiri, won from the seat in 2024 by 9,830 votes.

Photo courtesy: Upasna Mohapatra Facebook page

Upasna, who was in the limelight after being active in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, joined the BJP in 2017 under the leadership of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

She was made the BJP's state coordinator in August 2018.

In the 2019 assembly elections, Upasna led her uncle Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra's campaign in Brahmagiri.

The BJP MLA was embroiled in a controversy after she and 20 others assaulted the tenants of a house in Bhubaneswar. She was booked for the incident.

In June 2019, Upasna tied the nuptial knot with Mumbai-based businessman Subhransu Sekhar Biswal in the state capital.

Photo courtesy: Upasna Mohapatra Facebook page

In 2024, the BJP, spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made its first ever government in Odisha, uninstalling the 25-year-old Naveen Patnaik rule.

After the BJP defeated Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal, Upasna told NDTV, "It's a monumental moment but I believe it was long impending. We have seen developments in cities but a lot of development is impending in the rural and remote areas."

"I can speak for my constituency Brahmagiri, which is still very backward, and is not as developed as it should have. The pace of development is not aligned with today's day and age," she added.