Former Odisha Assembly Speaker Suryanarayan Patra passed away (!).
Bureau,Odishabarta
Naveen Patnaik,CM,Odisha Paid Tribute
Bhubaneswar,03/09/23: Surjya Narayan Patro Passed Away: Former Odisha Assembly Speaker and seven-time MLA Suryanarayan Patra is no more.
He passed away this evening while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. He was 75 years old at the time of his death. His wife Rajshree Patra, two sons and daughter were present at his deathbed.Characters were ill for a long time.
Suryanarayan Patra was suffering from old age related ailments for a long time and was undergoing treatment. He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Suryanarayan Patra was elected councilor in 1997,and has been associated with active politics since 1997.When he was elected as a corporator of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation.He also served as the President of FISHFED, OMFED and OPELFED for many years. Odisha Served as the President of the Private Motor Transport Employees Union. He was an executive member of the Ganjam Athletic Association.
Late Patra was first elected to the state assembly in 1990. He was elected twice from Mohana assembly seat from 1990 to 2000 on Janata Dal ticket. He had never lost an election since 1990. After winning as an MLA in 1990, he served as Minister of State for Forests, Fisheries and Livestock in the Biju Patnaik government for about six months. From 2000 to May 2019, he served as the Minister of Energy, Science and Technology, Environment, Tourism, Information and Technology, Culture, Revenue and Disaster Management, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare and Cooperation in the Naveen Patnaik government.
He was elected to the Legislative Assembly seven times. He was elected four times from Mohana assembly seat and thrice from Digpahandi seat in Gajapati district. Patra was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Mohana in 1990 and 1995 on a Janata Dal ticket. He was then elected to the Vidhansabha from this seat in the 2000 and 2004 elections on a BJD ticket. In the 2009, 2014 and 2019 elections, he won the Digpahandi seat in Ganjam district.
He, known for his witty words, had pushed for e-Vidhan Sabha after taking over as the Speaker of the Odisha Assembly in 2019. Due to his efforts, the work of making the official residence of the MLAs equipped with state-of-the-art facilities is still going on. He had to resign from the post of speaker in June 2022. Since then he has not been seen in active politics.
Brief about Late Patra:Suryanarayan Patra was born on 24 December 1948. He had a bachelor’s degree in law. In February 2019, he received an honorary doctorate from Deshbhagat University, Punjab.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik paid tribute. Expressing grief, Chief Minister Patnaik has said that former speaker, minister and senior Biju Janata Dal leader, MLA Suryanarayana Patra Saddened to know about the demise of. His dedicated life in the service of the people of Ganjam will always be remembered. His invaluable contribution in organizing the Biju Janata Dal is an inspiration for all of us.
The leaders of all party, Social activist mourned the demise of late Patra.
His death has been condoled in various quarters. Governor Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan,Baijayanta Panda,BJP National Vice President, Leader of Opposition Jainarayan Mishra, Bhuminder Singh, Prasanna Acharya, Prafulla Malik, Badri Patra, Pramila Mallick, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Ranendra Pratap Swaini, Sameer Das, PCC President Sharat Patnaik, State BJP President Manmohan Samal and other leaders passed away.