Bhubaneswar. Senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and former Speaker of Odisha Assembly Maheshwar Mohanty died in a private hospital in the early hours of Tuesday. He was 67 years old. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
Mr. Mohanty (Maheshwar Mohanty) was admitted to the hospital on October 31 after his health deteriorated and he was diagnosed with mild stroke, where he breathed his last at 03:25 pm today.
Mr Mohanty, a lawyer by profession, had represented Puri Assembly constituency for five consecutive terms from 1995 to 2014. He was elected to the assembly four times as a BJD candidate and once as a Janata Dal candidate.
Mr. Mohanty was first elected to the Odisha Assembly in 1995 on a Janata Dal ticket and was subsequently elected as a BJD candidate in 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2014. During his long political career, he served in many important positions. He was the Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly from 2004 to 2008. He held the portfolios of Panchayati Raj, Tourism and Culture, Planning and Coordination, Law and Revenue and Disaster Management during his political career.
Mr. Mohanty has also been a member of the Sri Mandir Management Committee since 1994. He participated in the 50th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference 2004 in Canada and the 51st Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference 2005 in Fiji. He visited 15 countries including America, Britain, Germany, Australia, France.
Family sources said that the last rites of Mr. Mohanty will be held at Swargadwar in Puri. Several political leaders and well-wishers reached the hospital this morning to pay their last respects to the departed soul. His mortal remains will be taken first from the hospital to the Assembly and then to the party office, where Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and several party leaders will pay homage to the departed soul before being taken to his residence in Puri for the last rites.
