Bhubaneswar: Senior Congress leader and former Odisha MLA Devendra Sharma died at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar Friday evening, family sources said.
Sharma (66) was suffering from cancer and was undergoing treatment for the last several days, they said.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, state Congress president Bhakta Charan Das and many other political leaders expressed grief over Sharma’s demise.
Sharma was elected to the Odisha Assembly from Aul segment in Kendrapara district in 2014 but was defeated in 2019. He had also served as the president of Kendrapara district Congress committee.
“He (Sharma) will always be remembered for his welfare works and service as a public representative. I pray for the eternal peace of his soul and express my deepest condolences to the bereaved family. Om Shanti,” Majhi wrote on X.
Similarly, in his condolence message, Das said, “Devendra Babu was a senior member of our Congress family. His demise has cast a shadow of grief not only in Kendrapara but also in the entire Odisha, especially in the Congress family.”
He worked for the Congress party for many years in various positions and continued to strive till the last moment of his life to strengthen the party. His demise is an irreparable loss to state politics, Das said.
PTI
