Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Pinaki Misra, who won from Odisha’s Puri, announced his decision to give his entire salary and allowances as Member of Parliament to the CM Relief Fund for the reconstruction of the coastal constituency following Cyclone Fani.
Expressing his gratitude to the people of Puri, Misra said, “I’m very grateful that they showered me with so much affection, Puri parliamentary constituency in its entirety.”
“As a token of thanks, I’ve decided to give my entire salary and allowances from Parliament to CM Relief Fund so that it can be used for people of Puri,” Misra was quoted as saying by ANI.
Odisha was ravaged by Cyclone Fani. There was massive damage to infrastructure that included 291 km of drainage system, 750 km of roads, 26,821 street light points, parks, and public and community toilets. At least 41 people lost their lives in the cyclone.
PM Modi, after conducting aerial survey to gauge extent of damage, announced Rs 1,000 crore interim relief in addition to the Rs 341 crore announced previously.
Misra, the sitting MP from Puri, retained his seat for the third straight time by a margin of 11714 votes over BJP candidate Sambit Patra. While Misra got 538321 votes, Patra got 526607. The BJP leader was contesting Lok Sabha elections for the first time.
Though the BJP performed well in Odisha winning 8 of the 21 seats, another of its high-profile leader, Baijayant Jay Panda, had to bite the dust in Kendrapara. Panda, who won the seat four times on a BJD ticket, lost to actor-turned Rajya Sabha MP Anubhav Mohanty.
The BJD won 12 seats and also performed excellently in the concurrently held Assembly elections which brought Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to power for a fifth straight time.