One of India’s prominent tribal leaders, Jual Oram has been re-elected to Lok Sabha for the sixth time, defeating former Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey of the BJD by a margin of more than 1.38 lakh votes from Sundargarh.
Jual belongs to the ‘Oraon’ tribe. He has acquired his stature in the BJP because of his successive victory in assembly and LS elections since 1990.Barring the lone defeat in 2009 to former chief minister Hemananda Biswal in Sundargarh LS seat, Jual has won all the other elections.
He was first elected MLA from Bonai in 1990 and followed it up again in 1995. He first became an MP from Sundargarh in 1998, and won again in 1999, 2004, 2014, 2019 and 2024. In the 2014 elections, when BJP had been reduced to 1 Lok Sabha seat, Jual was the only one to have won it.
Born on March 22, 1961, in Kendudihi, a village in Sundargarh district, Jual emerged from a humble background to become an influential figure in Indian politics. One of five siblings in a poor tribal family, his early experiences with poverty shaped his unwavering commitment towards uplifting the underprivileged and marginalized communities.
After completing his diploma in electrical engineering, Jual worked for six years as an assistant foreman at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). However, his passion for making a wider impact led him to leave his job and enter politics in 1990. His political journey commenced with his election to the Odisha assembly from Bonai constituency the same year.
On October 13, 1999, Oram made history when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee appointed him as India’s first Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, establishing a new ministry dedicated to tribal issues for the first time in the country. He held the same ministry in Modi’s first term, from 2014 to 2019. From 2019 to 2024, he served as the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence, playing a crucial role in important discussions and decisions related to national security and defence policies.
During his tenure in Modi’s cabinet, Oram initiated various programmes aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities, focusing on education, healthcare, and employment to ensure that the benefits of development reached the most marginalized sections of society. Throughout his career, Jual has remained a strong advocate for tribal upliftment and the welfare of poorer sections of society.
Jual belongs to the ‘Oraon’ tribe. He has acquired his stature in the BJP because of his successive victory in assembly and LS elections since 1990.Barring the lone defeat in 2009 to former chief minister Hemananda Biswal in Sundargarh LS seat, Jual has won all the other elections.
He was first elected MLA from Bonai in 1990 and followed it up again in 1995. He first became an MP from Sundargarh in 1998, and won again in 1999, 2004, 2014, 2019 and 2024. In the 2014 elections, when BJP had been reduced to 1 Lok Sabha seat, Jual was the only one to have won it.
Born on March 22, 1961, in Kendudihi, a village in Sundargarh district, Jual emerged from a humble background to become an influential figure in Indian politics. One of five siblings in a poor tribal family, his early experiences with poverty shaped his unwavering commitment towards uplifting the underprivileged and marginalized communities.
After completing his diploma in electrical engineering, Jual worked for six years as an assistant foreman at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). However, his passion for making a wider impact led him to leave his job and enter politics in 1990. His political journey commenced with his election to the Odisha assembly from Bonai constituency the same year.
On October 13, 1999, Oram made history when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee appointed him as India’s first Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, establishing a new ministry dedicated to tribal issues for the first time in the country. He held the same ministry in Modi’s first term, from 2014 to 2019. From 2019 to 2024, he served as the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence, playing a crucial role in important discussions and decisions related to national security and defence policies.
During his tenure in Modi’s cabinet, Oram initiated various programmes aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities, focusing on education, healthcare, and employment to ensure that the benefits of development reached the most marginalized sections of society. Throughout his career, Jual has remained a strong advocate for tribal upliftment and the welfare of poorer sections of society.