Former Odisha minister passes away

Sambad English Bureau Published On : Aug 23, 2014 at 9:53 PM Updated On : Aug 23, 2014 at 9:59 PM

Odisha Sun Times Bureau

Bhubaneswar, Aug 23:

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Former Odisha minister Brahmananda Biswal passed away at his Jharpada residence here today. He was 81 and was ailing for the past few weeks.

Biswal, a three-time MLA from Kamakshanagar constituency, was elected to the Odisha Assembly for the first time on a Congress ticket in 1971 and went on to become minister of state with independent charge of Law, Forests and Animal Husbandry in the Nandini Satpathy government. He later became a cabinet minister for Education in the Binayak Acharya government.

He was credited with bringing KP Singhdeo into the Congress from the Swatantra Party. After the post-Emergency split in the Congress, however, he sided with the Devraj Urs faction.

The last time he won an Assembly election was on a BJD ticket in 2000.

He is survived by nine daughters and three sons.

Biswal’s last rites were performed at the Swargadwar in Puri today.