Senior BJD Leader Bed Prakash Agarwalla Passes Away

Bhubaneswar: Senior BJD leader and former Finance minister Bed Prakash Agarwalla died at a private hospital here on Saturday morning. He was 83.

Family sources said Agarwalla, who was suffering from a protracted illness, passed away at 10.20am. The veteran leader and sitting MLA from Patkura in Kendrapara district was contesting from the seat for the third time. He had been elected twice from there, in 2009 and 2014.

Following his demise, the Assembly polls in Patkura will be countermanded by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

His son said his father’s body will be taken to his official residence in Bhubaneswar. A general secretary of the party later said Agarwalla’s body will be taken to the party office in Bhubaneswar around 1.30pm for party leaders to pay their last respects. The body was also to be taken to his native place in Patkura before being taken to Swargadwara in Puri in the evening for cremation.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has condoled Agarwalla’s death. Describing him as an able parliamentarian and administrator, Patnaik said his death was “a great loss for all of us”.

A party release said Naveen will pay homage to the former minister at the state party office in Bhubaneswar at 3.45pm.

“His organisational ability and dedication for the welfare of general public will be remembered for ever. He was also a close associate of Biju Babu,” Naveen said. The chief minister conveyed his deep sympathy to Agarwalla’s bereaved family.

Agarwalla had earlier won the Kendrapara Assembly seat four times, as an Utkal Congress candidate in 1974, Janata Party candidate in 1977, Janata Dal candidate in 1990 and BJP candidate in 2000.

Agarwalla was the Kendrapara municipality councillor from 1957 to 1970 and Kendrapara municipality chairman from 1970 to 1974. He had also been a BJP national executive member earlier.