Bhubaneswar: Former Odisha minister and ex-deputy speaker of the state assembly, Bibhuti Bhusan Singh Mardaraj, has died, his family said.
He was 70, and is survived by his wife, son and daughter.
A member of the former royal family of Khandapada, Mardaraj breathed his last while undergoing treatment at a private hospital here around 12.30 am Thursday.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his condolences over Mardaraj’s demise.
“I am deeply saddened to learn about the demise of former minister and former deputy speaker of Odisha Assembly, Shri Bibhuti Bhusan Singh Mardaraj. I pray to Lord Shri Jagannath for the eternal peace of the departed soul and extend my condolences to the family members. Om Shanti,” Majhi said in an X post.
Mardaraj was elected to the Odisha Assembly thrice in 1980, 1985, and 1995 from Khandapada constituency. He was the deputy speaker of Odisha Assembly from 1996 to 2000.
His son Siddharth Sekhar Singh was also elected to the state assembly in 2009 on a BJD ticket.
People from all walks of life visited the hospital to pay their last respects to the departed soul.