Cuttack: All cultural programmes at Cuttack Bali Jatra scheduled for Monday have been cancelled in view of the demise of senior BJP leader and former Odisha Minister Samir Dey.
Announcing this, Cuttack Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde told reporters that no cultural event will be held on Monday evening either at Baishnab Pani Mancha or Akshay Mohanty Mancha as mark of honour to the veteran leader.
As the state is mourning the demise of the senior leader, who was a prominent politician of Cuttack city, it has been decided that no cultural event will be held at the annual festival on Monday, he said.
The 67-year-old leader, who breathed his last while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Cuttack, was first elected to the state Assembly in 1995 from Cuttack. He won the seat twice again in 2000 and 2004.
Dey was the Urban Development Minister from 2000 to 2004 and Higher Education Minister from 2004 to 2009.