Sasmit Patra () is an

Indian politician The Politics and Government of India works within the framework of the country's Constitution, which was adopted in 1950. India is a parliamentary secular democratic republic, described as a “sovereign, socialist, secular democratic republ ...

academician An academician is a full member of an artistic, literary, engineering, or scientific academy. In many countries, it is an honorific title used to denote a full member of an academy that has a strong influence on national scientific life. Accor ...

, and lawyer, currently serving as a Member of Parliament in the

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

, representing

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

. Known for his articulate speeches and active participation in parliamentary debates. He is currently national

Spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

Biju Janata Dal The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is an Indian regional political party with significant influence in the state of Odisha. The party was established to uphold the legacy of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik and to address the unique socio-economic ...

and also holds the position of the Chief Whip of the party in the

upper house An upper house is one of two Legislative chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted p ...

. He was renominated to the Rajya Sabha by

for a second term in May 2022.

Early life and education

Sasmit Patra was born to ''Dr. Swarupananda Patra'' and ''Rashmi Mohapatra''. His father was the president of the Odisha Minority Forum (OMF). Patra belongs to a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

family. Dr. Patra pursued his education at

Utkal University Utkal University (UU) is a public university in Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Odisha, and is the oldest university in the state, and the 17th-oldest university in India. The university was established in 1943 and was operating from Ravenshaw College ...

Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra ...

, and Allahabad Agricultural Institute (Deemed University),

Prayagraj Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. His academic qualifications include: * Ph.D. (Business Management) *

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

(specialization in HR) *

LLB A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

(Law Graduate) *

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

(Education Hons.) Dr. Patra married Sweta Millicent Paul, an academician by profession, on 6 February 2004. The couple resides in

Professional career

Before entering politics, Dr. Patra had a diverse professional career spanning academia, public policy, governance, and law: * Worked on a

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

Government of Odisha The Government of Odisha and its Districts of Odisha, 30 districts consists of an executive branch, executive, led by the List of Governors of Odisha, Governor of Odisha, a judiciary, and a legislative branch. Like other states in India, the ...

development project. * Held teaching roles in

organizational behavior Organizational behavior or organisational behaviour (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the "study of human behavior in organizational settings, the interface between human behavior and the organiza ...

and

human resource management Human resource management (HRM) is the strategic and coherent approach to the effective and efficient management of people in a company or organization such that they help their business gain a competitive advantage. It is designed to maximize e ...

. * Practiced law on a

pro bono ( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...

basis. * Contributed to

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a Group decision-making, decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to Problem solving, solve or address relevant and problematic social issues, guided by a conceptio ...

development through his work with the Odisha government. * Distinguished professor, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon He has an extensive academic background and has served as the Dean of Xavier-Emlyon Business School, a joint collaboration between

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier had an enrollment of approximately 5,600 undergraduate an ...

and

Emlyon Business School EM Lyon Business School (styled emlyon) is a business school in Lyon, France, established in 1872, and affiliated with the Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A '' grande école de commerce'', EM Lyon Business School offers a range of academi ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Political career

Dr. Patra has wide-ranging experience of working across all four pillars of democracy – legislature, executive, judiciary and media. His key roles include: * Member of Parliament (

) * Member of Vice-Chairmen Panel of Rajya Sabha * Member, Parliamentary Departmental Standing Committee on Human Resource Development which covers the Ministry of HRD, Women and Child Development, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Sports and Youth Affairs * Member, Parliamentary Joint Committee on Office of Profit, Privileges, General Purposes, and Ethics * National Spokesperson and Media Coordinator,

* Secretary and Member of State Council of

as well as Member of the BJD’s IT Wing Core Committee. As of January 2024, according to the official records of the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Patra has asked 436 questions, introduced 16 Private Members' Bills, and participated in 1,388 debates in the Rajya Sabha, with an overall attendance of 92%, including 100% attendance in 10 out of 14 sessions since July 2019.

Controversies

In April 2025, Dr. Patra faced criticism within his party for creating confusion over voting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the

. Despite the BJD's decision to oppose the bill, Patra publicly stated that MPs could vote according to their conscience, leading to internal discord among party members. Several senior leaders demanded disciplinary action against him for allegedly contradicting party directives and causing damage to its image among minority communities.

References

Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences alumni Biju Janata Dal politicians Rajya Sabha members from Odisha Year of birth missing (living people) Living people {{Odisha-BJD-politician-stubAbout

Early life and education

Professional career

Political career

Controversies

See also

References