Odishatv Bureau

Berhampur: Former minister and MP Harihar Swain died at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Saturday following prolonged illness, family sources said here.

Swain, 73, was suffering from multiple ailments for several months. He is survived by his wife, a son, and three daughters.

Born at Debabhumi village near Aska, Swain was first elected to the Odisha assembly in 1977 from Aska on Janata Party ticket and became the deputy minister for transport and jail. He was then elected to the assembly from Kabisurya Nagar in 1995 on a Congress ticket and became the minister of the PWD in the J. B. Patnaik cabinet.

Swain later joined BJD and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Aska in 2004. He was later suspended from the party and did not contest the 2009 polls due to ill health. Several political leaders in Ganjam district expressed grief over the death of Swain.

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