Former Odisha Assembly speaker and minister Maheswar Mohanty passed away today while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. He was 67.
“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of former speaker Shri Mr. Maheswar Mohanty, who was admitted to our care at Hospitals on November 1, 2023, following a severe Brain Stroke. Despite the relentless dedication of our multidisciplinary team of doctors, Shri Mohanty's health deteriorated, and he peacefully departed from us at 3:25 AM on November 7,2023,” said the hospital in a bulletin.
A five-time MLA from Puri assembly constituency, Mohanty handled the politics of Puri town for around three decades. The senior BJD leader held the public office in 1975 after being elected as a councillor in Puri municipality and then chairman of the civic body between 1985 and 1990.
Mohanty first became an MLA in 1995 from Puri on a Janata Dal ticket.
Mohanty was elected as speaker of the Odisha legislative assembly in May 2004, which he held till March 2008.
After that, he was made a minister for the first time in 2012 and continued till May 2019.
He held important portfolios such as panchayati raj, law, revenue and disaster management, planning and convergence, tourism and culture.