Puri: The mortal remains of veteran Odisha leader and former Union Minister Debendra Pradhan, who passed away at the age of 84 in New Delhi, were consigned to flames Swargadwara in Puri on Tuesday.
The remains of the BJP stalwart were taken in a grand procession from Bhubaneswar to the pilgrim town where his elder son Soumendra Pradhan lit the pyre at Swargadwara.
The last rites were performed in the presence of family members, relatives, followers and a host of dignitaries, including Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Lok Sabha MP Sambit Patra, and renowned yoga guru Ramdev Baba.
Following his demise in Delhi, the mortal remains of Pradhan were brought to on Monday and taken to the BJP state party office and then to his residence in the capital city.
Leaders from different political parties paid their last respects to the departed leader. Chief Minister Mohan Majhi and Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik were among those who paid tributes to Pradhan at his residence in Bhubaneswar.
Before his mortal remains were cremated, the departed leader was given a guard of honour at the Swargadwar crematorium.
Born to Maheswar Pradhan and Chandrama Debi on July 16, 1941, Pradhan completed his MBBS from SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack in 1966. Pradhan began his professional journey as an Assistant Medical Officer at Dera in Talcher in 1967. However, after six years of service, he opted for voluntary retirement and ventured into private practice in 1973. His entry into politics came in 1980 when he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), marking the beginning of a distinguished political career.
Debendra Pradhan was elected to 12th Loka Shabha from Deogarh in Odisha in 1998. He was made Minister of State for Surface Transport in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government after making debut in Lok Sabha. He retained the Lok Sabha seat in 1999 elections and served as the Minister (MoS) of Surface Transport and Agriculture from 1999 to 2001. He was appointed as the National Vice President of Bharatiya Janata Party in 2001.
