Bhubaneswar: Veteran politician and former Odisha minister Damburudhar Majhi breathed his last on Sunday morning while undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the District Headquarters Hospital in Nabarangpur. He was 86.
He was hospitalised after suffering from prolonged age-related health ailments.
Majhi boasted a distinguished legislative career spanning several decades, marking a significant footprint in regional politics. Between 1967 and 1990, he was elected four times to the Odisha Legislative Assembly, representing Dabugam constituency (formerly Kodigan) as well as the Kodinga Assembly constituency. He first entered the state assembly in 1967 as a Swatantra Party candidate from Dabugam and successfully retained the seat in 1971 under the same banner. Later, shifting his political alignment to the Indian National Congress (I), he won the Kodinga seat in 1980 before returning to represent Dabugam for Congress in 1985.
Throughout his legislative tenures, Majhi served in the state cabinet across four terms, holding key portfolios including Transport, Finance, and Culture.
Over his expansive career, Majhi adapted to changing political landscapes, aligning with multiple parties including the Swatantra Party, Indian National Congress, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2009, he contested the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha parliamentary seat on a BJD ticket, though he was defeated. He formally severed his decades-long tie with the BJD in October 2018 to join the BJP, remaining active in public life.
Expressing deep sorrow over his demise, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi offered condolences to the bereaved family and prayed to Lord Shri Jagannath for the peaceful repose of the departed soul.