Three-time former MLA Prasanna Patanayak dies | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Three-time former MLA Prasanna Patanayak died in a private hospital here on Friday aged 77, family sources said. Patanayak, who was first elected as Kamakhyanagar MLA on Janata Dal ticket in 1977, is the first one to have been elected MLA on a BJP ticket in Odisha in 1985. He was re-elected on Janata Dal ticket from Kamakhyanagar in 1990.A graduate, Patanayak entered politics during his student days. He joined the revolution against emergency led by Jaya Prakash Narayan in 1975 and was detained under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) and Defence of India Rules (DIR).Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, leader of opposition Naveen Patnaik and state BJP president Manmohan Samal, among others, expressed grief at Patanayak’s death. “I am deeply saddened and shocked by the passing away of Prasanna Patanayak, a hardworking leader of Odisha politics and the first BJP MLA from Odisha. His contribution to the fields of education, social service and politics, and his immense contribution in strengthening the organization of our party will always be remembered. His passing away is an irreparable loss to the state,” Majhi shared in X.Naveen wrote that Patanayak’s invaluable contribution to public service will be remembered forever. “I pray for the eternal peace of his soul and express my deepest condolences to the bereaved family,” he wrote.
