Former Odisha Assembly speaker Maheswar Mohanty dies at 67

Senior BJD leader and former Odisha Assembly speaker Maheswar Mohanty died at a private hospital here on Tuesday.

Mohanty, who was also a former minister, was 67. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

He was admitted to the hospital on November 1 after suffering a cerebral stroke, and died at 3.25 am on Tuesday, hospital sources said.

Mohanty was elected to the Odisha Assembly from Puri constituency five times. He had successfully contested the assembly elections as a Janata Dal candidate in 1995 and as a BJD nominee in 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2014.