BHUBANESWAR:
V Sugnana Kumari Deo
, a senior BJD leader and 10-time
MLA
from Khallikote and Kabisuryanagar assembly constituencies in Ganjam district, passed away in Chennai on Saturday at the age of 87.
She was undergoing treatment in Apollo Hospitals in Chennai. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday flew to Chennai and met her in the hospital.
She entered into politics in 60's and became MLA from Khallikote assembly constituency in 1961 in an Indian National Congress ticket.
Later she was elected from the same constituency in a Utkal Congress ticket in 1974, Janata ticket in 1977, Janata Party in 1985, Janata Dal in 1990 and 1995 and in BJD ticket between 2000 and 2019. She was consecutively winning for seven times from 1985 to 2019. She was MLA from Khallikote assembly constituency for eight times and the remaining two terms from Kabisuryanagar assembly constituency.
She had worked with former chief minister Biju Patnaik. She was respected by Naveen and the leaders of state.
She was one among pro-tem speakers of
Odisha
assembly. She was not interested to become minister. She was popular among people of her constituencies as well as in Ganjam district. People were calling her 'Rani Maa' or 'Rani Saheba' because she belongs to Khallikote royal family. She is the wife of Purna Chandra Mardaraj Deo, king of Khallikote princely state.
Khallikote royal family has immense contribution to Odisha's education and other sectors. It was instrumental in forming Ganjam Jatiya Samiti, started in 1902 in Rambha gave Madhusudan Das the idea of Utkal Sammilani to make Odisha a separate state on April 1, 1936.
Political leaders across party lines condoled the death of Deo. Odisha governor Raghubar Das, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, MLAs and MPs, senior political leaders and eminent personalities condoled the death of this senior BJD leader.
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