Biju Janata Dal leader and chief minister Naveen Patnaik has picked two women to head the zilla parishads in Malkangiri and Rayagada districts with a focus on the development of these backward areas.

They are among the 21 women that the chief minister has chosen to head 70 per cent of the newly constituted zilla parishads to send a strong message on women empowerment.

Samari Tangul, 26, who was working as a member of a women self-help group in Maoist-dominated Swabhiman Anchal, has been chosen by Naveen to head the zilla parishad in Malkangiri. The mother of a four-year old girl had been elected a zilla parishad member from Swabiman Anchal in the recently concluded panchayat polls.

Saraswati Majhi, 23, has been picked to head the Rayagada zilla parishad.

Most of the women picked by Naveen are first-timers and nourish dreams of developing their respective districts.

Talking to The Telegraph, Samari said: “I had never thought of becoming the president of a zilla parishad. I don’t even know how and why chief minister sir had picked me for this job. When I meet him in person, I will convey my gratitude to him.”

Samari, who has studied up to Plus Two, said: “We had formed a women’s self-help group and were trying to be economically independent by selling turmeric and mushrooms. We have 12 members in our group and each one of us earns Rs 1,000 per day. I decided to take a plunge into politics on the advice of my seniors.”

Samari’s husband is a farmer in the Swabhiman Anchal. On whether she had ever been targeted by the Maoists, Samari said: “Why should they target me? I hail from the area where the Maoists had dominance.

“I am also a Maoist. Everyone is a Maoist there. Now with the developmental steps taken by the government, including the construction of the Guru Priya bridge that connects the area with Malkangiri’s mainland, we have all joined the mainstream of development.”

With a population of around 32,000, the Swabhiman Anchal got cut off from the district’s mainland in the 1960s following the construction of the Macchkund reservoir and turned into a Maoist den.

But things started changing in 2018 following the inauguration of the Gurupriya bridge.

Samari has detailed plans for the development of the district. “I will work for women’s empowerment and ensure that all women earn a decent livelihood through SHGs. We will also work for improved health services and education in our area. When I fail to get something done, I will bring this to the notice of Naveen sir.”

Saraswati is another surprise pick. At 23, she is the youngest zilla parishad president in the state. “A BSc graduate, she will be spearheading the development activities in Rayagada district. Naveen has chosen young, educated and talented party workers as zilla parishad presidents as part of a long-term strategy to mentor them for leadership positions,” BJD sources said.

Talking to The Telegraph, Saraswati said: “I joined politics only two months back. Before that I used was with an NGO for the nourishment of children. Now Naveen sir has given me a big responsibility. I will work hard to prove myself.”

Saraswati said she wanted to become an MLA after five years. “I had never thought of joining politics. Now I would work hard to gain the confidence of people,” she said.

“Reposing his faith in the women leadership and to further the cause of women empowerment, Naveen has chosen 21 women as the zilla parishad presidents, which is 70 per cent of the total seats and more than the statutory requirement of 50 per cent reservation,” BJD spokesperson Sulata Deo said.

“This is the first time such a large number of women are heading the districts in Odisha and is probably unprecedented anywhere else in the country.

“The bigger districts such as Mayurbhanj, Ganjam (Naveen’s home district), Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Sambalpur and the districts of the undivided Koraput belt (except Nawrangpur) are being headed by women zilla parishad presidents,” Deo added.