Akankshya Mahapatra 
Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak
Cooling his heels and away from the media arc lights for a hiatus, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak hogged the limelight again when the BJD high command roped him in to campaign for the ensuing Pipili by-poll. Nayak has been assigned charge of the Pipili block which has 25 gram panchayats. It is a reaffirmation of the faith which the party has on Nayak. He may not be holding any ministerial portfolio at the moment but there is no gainsaying his organizational prowess and strategic capabilities.
An MLA representing the Mahakalpada assembly constituency, Nayak is a lawyer from the University Law College, Bhubaneswar by academic qualification, He also holds his MBA degree in Marketing from IMM, Delhi. From his school and college days, Nayak had a propensity to write on social issues which continues to this date. Before diving into the pool of politics, he was a journalist with a leading Odia daily. He served as a high performing minister, delivering results in his tenures as the minister for energy and health & family welfare.
Nayak has been a huge votary of the leadership of Naveen Patnaik and the development impact it has created across Odisha. In each of his poll trails, the incumbent Mahakalpada MLA has been highlighting the achievements of the BJD regime.
He has been hugely inspired by the charisma and appeal of the late Biju Patnaik. Often, he has recalled anecdotes to the media on the towering influence of the tallest leader on the mindscape of people of Odisha.
Being a victim of Covid-19, Nayak has been at the forefront of awareness on the pandemic, urging people to take all safety precautions to contain its spread.
An upright politician and a selfless social worker, Nayak belongs to the rare breed of leaders who set new benchmarks each day.
