Bhakta Charan Das

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources: "Bhakta Charan Das" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. (November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Bhakta Charan Das
President Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 February 2025
Preceded by	Sarat Pattanayak
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 2009–2014
Preceded by	Bikram Keshari Deo
Succeeded by	Arka Keshari Deo
Constituency	Kalahandi
In office 1996–1998
Preceded by	Subhash Chandra Nayak
Succeeded by	Bikram Keshari Deo
Constituency	Kalahandi
In office 1989–1991
Preceded by	Jagannath Patnaik
Succeeded by	Subhash Chandra Nayak
Constituency	Kalahandi
Minister of State in Ministry of Railways Government of India
In office 21 November 1990 – 21 June 1991
Prime Minister	Chandra Shekhar
Preceded by	Madhavrao Scindia
Succeeded by	Mallikarjun Goud
Deputy Minister Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (India)
In office 23 April 1990 – 5 November 1990
Prime Minister	V. P. Singh
Personal details
Born	(1958-11-26) 26 November 1958 (age 66) Bhawanipatna, Odisha, India
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse	Sunanda Das
Children	Sagar Charan Das
Parents	Dibakar Das (father) Bilasha Das (mother)
Education	B.A., LL.B.
Alma mater	Sambalpur University
Profession	Politician, Advocate, Journalist
Website	https://www.myneta.info/Odisha2024/candidate.php?candidate_id=235

Bhakta Charan Das (born 26 November 1958) is an Indian politician from Odisha. He served as a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha representing the Kalahandi (Lok Sabha constituency) in the 15th Lok Sabha.^[1][2] He also served as the President of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee.^[3]

He was involved in movements related to human rights, entitlements, and environmental conservation. In 1977, he joined the Yuva Chhatra Sangharsh Bahini, the student wing of the JP movement, where he advocated against corruption and for the rights of marginalized communities. The organization advocated for the employment of local youth in the Indravati Hydro and Irrigation Project.

Das participated in the "Save Forest" movement, raising awareness about the effects of deforestation, such as ecological imbalances, climate change, and reduced rainfall. He encouraged forest dwellers, including tribal communities, to protect forests and wildlife. Das opposed the government's policy of auctioning lumber and worked with forest inhabitants and villagers to prevent contractors from exploiting woodland resources.

As an MLA, Das toured the district, involving district administration officials. He and activists organized protests, bandhs, road blockades, and hunger strikes.

In the Odisha Legislative Assembly, Das highlighted the conditions faced by residents in his district, bringing attention to issues in Kalahandi.

Das contested the 1989 Lok Sabha election from the Kalahandi constituency on behalf of the Janata Party.^[4] He won and was appointed Deputy Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs in the Union Ministry under Prime Minister V.P. Singh.^[5]

After the V.P. Singh government fell, Das was appointed Minister of State for Railways under Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar and oversaw the surveying and approval of new railway lines by the Planning Commission, their inclusion in the Union Railway Budget, the introduction of new trains, and the modernization of railway stations.

Das advocated for the rights of tribal communities, farmers, and other marginalized groups. During 2012–13, he worked on issues related to the National Crop Insurance Scheme, through which farmers in Odisha reportedly received over Rs 500 crore. Between 2009 and 2014, he worked to secure road, irrigation, and railway projects for the Kalahandi and Nuapada districts.

In 2003, Vedanta signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Odisha for an alumina refinery at Lanjigarh and bauxite mining from Niyamgiri. Das advocated for the protection of Niyamgiri and the rights of the local inhabitants, particularly the Dongaria Kondhs, for whom Niyamgiri is a source of sustenance and holds religious significance.

Das opposed investment and mining projects and supported the local community's cause. Following actions by civil society groups and the local community, Das informed Sonia Gandhi, the President of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), about the situation.

• Kalahandi (Lok Sabha constituency)
• Indian general election in Orissa, 2009
• Indian National Congress
• Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee