Simarani Nayak

Nayak is from Hindol and her late husband was a doctor. She is a home maker and a social worker. She completed her Class 12 in 1985 at Government Secondary Training School, Dhenkanal. Earlier, she did her Class 11 at Dhalpur High School, Dhalpur H.S.C.E, Odisha in 1982.^[3][4]

Nayak won the 2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly election from Hindol Assembly Constituency representing Bharatiya Janata Party. She polled 97,795 votes and defeated Mahesh Sahoo of the Biju Janata Dal by a margin of 11,827 votes. After she was denied a ticket, she left the BJD and joined the BJP in April 2024.^[5][6] She retained her seat, which she had won on Biju Janata Dal ticket in 2019 Odisha Legislative Assembly election defeating Ashok Kumar Nayak of Bharatiya Janata Party by a margin of 18,905 votes. She first won the Hindol seat in the 2014 Odisha Legislative Assembly election representing BJD.^[7][8] She defeated Laxmidhar Behara of BJP by a huge margin of 50,499.