Bhubaneswar: Former Odisha Assembly Speaker and renowned writer Sarat Kumar Kar succumbed to Covid-19, while he was undergoing treatment at a private hospital here on Monday, his son Sobhan Kar said. He was 81.
He was on ventilator support for last few few days, his son added.
The veteran leader was a member of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) till his last breath.
Kar was elected as a Janata Party (Lok Dal) MP in 1977 from Cuttack, defeating the then Congress stalwart Janaki Ballabh Patnaik.
He was also elected three times (2000–04, 1990–95 and 1971–74) to the Odisha Legislative Assembly from Mahanga. He became the Minister for Education and Culture in 1971 in the Biswanath Das Govt in the State.
Kalinga AI