By Our Correspondent
PARLAKHEMUNDI/BHUBANESWAR: Parala Maharaja Gopinath Gajapati Narayan Dev was on Friday passed away. The Maharaja had represented the Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency twice.
Family sources said Paralakhemundi king passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar in the wee hours today. He was 76. He is survived by daughter Kalyani Devi, who joined Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in February 2019.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Pratap Sarangi and BJP National Vice-President and Spokesperson Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda have condole the death.
Aul MLA Pratap Keshari Deb and Kanika King Shivendra Narayan Bhanjdeo have also condoled the death and hailed the late leader as dynamic.
“He will be remembered for his leadership and humility. Loved by all, he was a symbol of inclusiveness and social development,” BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra said.
The king was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar due to heart-related ailment and passed away at around 4 am today. He was under medication for over three years. Earlier, he was admitted to a hospital in Chennai in August 2016 .
Born in 1943, the septuagenarian was elected as Berhampur MP on Congress ticket for twice in 1989 and 1991. He joined BJP in 1998 before shifting to BJD in 2009.
