Berhampur, Jan. 17: The "Raja Saheb" of Dharakote, Sulakhyana Gitanjali Devi, 21, today took her first step into politics by filing her nomination papers as a candidate for Dharakote panchayat samiti member.

Gitanjali was crowned the symbolic "king" of Dharakote in 2010 after the death of her father Kishore Chandra Singh Deo. Gitanjali is the eldest daughter of BJD leader Nandini Devi, currently the BJD MLA from Sanakhemundi. The Dharakote rural polls are scheduled to take place on February 17.

Gitanjali is now pursuing a law degree at KIIT Bhubaneswar after completing Plus Two from Raj Kumar College in Raipur.

She had shot into limelight after performing the chhera pahanra (symbolic sweeping) of the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra during the 2010 car festival for the first time. As the king did not have a son, the "Mukti Mandap" (seat of high priests at Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri) had declared her right to perform the ritual.

Thousands of her admirers stood on both sides of the road in Dharakote and cheered to welcome her when Gitanjali and her mother, along with a large number of BJD workers, went in a procession from the palace to the Dharakote block office to file the nomination papers.

"I am proud of being able to carry on the family tradition (her father Kishore Chandra Singh Deo too was in politics). I want to be with the public and serve them. I owe it to my mother and the people of Dharakote for giving me the chance," Gitanjali said.

Former principal of Khallikote Autonomous College in Berhampur Laxmikant Patnaik said: "She will definitely become the chairman of Dharakote block. Earlier, the post of the block chairman, Dharakote, used to be reserved for Scheduled Caste. Now, it's a seat reserved for women in general category."

Another royal, Balwant Singh, brother of Nandini Devi, filed his nomination for the post of samiti member, Baharpur panchayat, under Dharakote block in Ganjam district.