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Sambit Patra (born 13 December 1974) is an Indian politician and surgeon who serves as the Member of Parliament from the Puri constituency since 4 June 2024. He has served as the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014 and currently serving as a chairman in tourism department since November 2021.[3] Patra had his first job at Hindu Rao Hospital. He was appointed an independent director[4] of the board of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) in 2017.[5][6] On 30 November 2021, Patra was appointed Chairman of the India Tourism Development Corporation.[7]

Early life and education

Patra was born on 13 December 1974 in Bokaro Steel City, Jharkhand (then Dhanbad district, Bihar) to an Odia family.[8] His father, Rabindra Nath Patra, was an employee at the Bokaro Steel Plant, and his mother is Bharti Patra.[8] He completed his primary and intermediate schooling at Chinmaya Vidyalaya in Bokaro.[9]

Patra obtained his MBBS degree from the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VSS Medical College) in Burla, Sambalpur, in 1997. He subsequently earned a Master of Surgery (MS) in General Surgery from the Srirama Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital (SCB Medical College) in Cuttack in 2002.[8][10]

Political career

Party leadership and early career

Patra began his political career in 2010 when he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a spokesperson for its Delhi unit. In 2012, he unsuccessfully contested the Delhi municipal corporation election as the BJP candidate from the Kashmiri Gate ward,[11] following which he resigned from his medical career at Hindu Rao Hospital to pursue full-time politics. During the 2014 Indian general election campaign, he gained visibility on national television as a commentator for the party. Following the election of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, Patra was promoted to national spokesperson of the BJP.

Public appointments and legislative career

In September 2017, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed Patra as a non-official independent director on the board of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for a three-year term. On 30 November 2021, the central government appointed him as the Chairman of the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).

Patra contested the parliamentary seat for the Puri Lok Sabha constituency during the 2019 general election, where he finished as the runner-up, losing to the incumbent Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate, Pinaki Misra, by a margin of 11,700 votes (1.03%). In the 2024 general election, he contested the Puri seat again as the BJP candidate and was elected to the Lok Sabha, defeating BJD candidate Arup Mohan Patnaik by a margin of 104,709 votes. Following his entry into Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla nominated Patra as a member of the Press Council of India in May 2025.

ONGC appointment challenge

Patra’s 2017 appointment to the ONGC board was legally challenged via a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the non-governmental organization Energy Watchdog in the Delhi High Court. The petitioners argued that his position as an active political spokesperson violated provisions regarding independent directors under the Companies Act, 2013. In November 2017, the Delhi High Court dismissed the petition, ruling that the allegations were unsubstantiated and stating that political party membership did not inherently disqualify an individual from discharging corporate duties.[12]

Social media and communication disputes

As a prominent media strategist, Patra’s online output has been the subject of several public and legal complaints:

  • Doctored video allegations (2020–2021): In February 2020, a police complaint was registered against Patra in Mumbai after he shared an edited video clip of a Congress politician. In November 2021, a Delhi court ordered the registration of an FIR against him for posting a video of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding farm laws, which the court found to be “doctored” and shared with the intent to cause public mischief.[13]
  • “Toolkit” investigation (2021): In May 2021, Patra tweeted screenshots of a document he claimed was an opposition “toolkit” designed to malign the government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Twitter labeled the post as “manipulated media,” leading to a dispute between the central government and the platform.[14]
  • Defamation proceedings (2021): In April 2021, the Chhattisgarh High Court quashed an FIR that had been registered against Patra for his tweets concerning former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi, ruling that the statements, while political in nature, did not legally constitute a public order offence under the Indian Penal Code.[15]

Religious remarks

In May 2024, during the general election campaign in Puri, Patra attracted criticism after stating in a media interview that “Lord Jagannath is a devotee (bhakt) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” a reversal of the traditional religious belief that humans are devotees of the deity. The comment drew condemnation from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who called it an “insult to the Lord”.[16] Patra subsequently clarified that it was a “slip of the tongue” caused by the crowded environment and announced he would observe a three-day fast as penance to seek forgiveness.[17]

Alleged violation of conduct rules

In November 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) filed a formal complaint demanding Patra’s removal as Chairman of the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). The complaint alleged that Patra’s active participation in election campaigning for the BJP in Gujarat while holding a public office violated the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, which restrict political activities by government officials. Patra did not publicly respond to the specific procedural allegations at the time.[18]

References

  1. ^ “Sambit Patra, furious over the question of being made the chairman of ITDC, said – now the thesis will ask the qualification of UPSC people?”. Aaj Tak. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  2. ^ “Sambit Patra turns 46: Tracing the political journey of BJP spokesperson”. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  3. ^ Administrator. “National Office Bearers”. www.bjp.org. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  4. ^ Limited, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. “ONGC – Board of Directors”. www.ongcindia.com. Retrieved 18 July 2018. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ “Sambit Patra to be up for reappointment on ONGC board”. thehindubusinessline.com. Business Line. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020. Patra was appointed as an Independent Director on the ONGC board on October 28 last year.
  6. ^ “Oil & Natural Gas Corp Ltd (ONGC:Natl India)”. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  7. ^ “Sambit Patra appointed as Chairman of ITDC”. The Hindu. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  8. ^ a b c “Members Bioprofile: Patra, Dr. Sambit”. Lok Sabha Secretariat. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  9. ^ “Sambit Patra Biography: Birth, Education, Medical and Political Career”. Jagran Josh. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  10. ^ “Sambit Patra (Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)):Constituency- PURI(ODISHA) – Affidavit Information of Candidate”. myneta.info. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  11. ^ “Ward Wise Result Sheet MCD General Election -2012 Total Votes Polled”. www.delhi.gov.in. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  12. ^ “HC rejects PIL challenging Sambit Patra’s appointment in ONGC”. The Economic Times. 6 November 2017.
  13. ^ “Delhi court orders registration of FIR against BJP leader Sambit Patra for allegedly posting fake video”. The Indian Express. 23 November 2021.
  14. ^ “Twitter flags Sambit Patra’s tweet on Congress ‘toolkit’ as manipulated media”. The Hindu. 21 May 2021.
  15. ^ “Chhattisgarh High Court quashes FIRs against Sambit Patra for tweets on Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi”. Bar and Bench. 12 April 2021.
  16. ^ “Sambit Patra apologises for ‘Lord Jagannath is Modi’s bhakt’ slip of tongue, to undertake penance”. Hindustan Times. 20 May 2024.
  17. ^ “BJP’s Sambit Patra fasts as ‘penance’ for Lord Jagannath gaffe”. India Today. 21 May 2024.
  18. ^ “AAP seeks action against Sambit Patra for ‘violating’ CCS conduct rules”. The Indian Express. 22 November 2022.