Bhubaneswar: Two years ago, he was an aspirant for MLA ticket from Soro Assembly segment in Odisha’s Balasore district. However, destiny had something else in store for Shibani Shankar Ray.

Ray, the only child of Late Kanhei Charan Rout and Ranjita Nayak, secured 138 rank in the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) Examination-2024, the results of which were declared by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) yesterday.

The 31-year-old was eager to begin his career in politics and was an aspirant for Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ticket to fight the 2024 Assembly polls in Odisha from Soro constituency.

However, Ray was denied the BJD ticket despite his strong grassroot connection.

The youth leader, who has an MBA degree from Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Indore, shifted to New Delhi and joined as a faculty member at the National Defence College.

But, his strong desire to work for the common people prompted Ray to appear the OCS Examination-2024. He cleared the prestigious examination, in which around 30,000 candidates tried their luck for 200 posts.

“I had always the dream to work for the common people. I was eager to contest the 2024 Assembly polls from Soro. But, somehow, that did not happen. I have now cleared the OCS Exam. I will serve the people with all sincerity and integrity,” said Ray.