Balasore: Senior Congress leader and two-time former MLA from Nilgiri constituency, Akshay Kumar Acharya, passed away late on Thursday. He was 78.
According to family sources, the former MLA had been suffering from cancer, and he was admitted to Nilgiri sub-divisional hospital after his condition deteriorated around 2 am. He was then referred to the district headquarters hospital in Balasore, where doctors declared him dead.
He is survived by his wife, three daughters, and a son. The last rites are scheduled to take place in Nilgiri on Friday.
A prominent figure in Balasore district politics, Acharya represented Nilgiri in the Odisha Assembly on a Congress ticket from 1980–1985 and 1995–2000. He remained involved in party organisational work and local affairs in the region long after retiring from electoral politics.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das have expressed deep condolences over his demise.
