Former legislator from Balikuda Assembly constituency, Umesh Swain passed away on Wednesday, his family said.
Swain breathed his last at his residence in Bhubaneswar after suffering a heart attack.
A four-time MLA, Swain was elected legislator for the first time in Janata Party ticket in 1977 and later in 1990 under the Janata Dal.
He joined Congress and also successfully contested MLA elections for two terms from the segment in 2000 and 2004. However after serving the party for nearly a decade and half, he parted ways with the Congress in 2014 citing factionalism as the main reason.
Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik condoled the demise of Swain. Taking to Twitter, Patnaik said his selfless service and relentless strive towards social welfare will always be remembered by people.
BJP National Vice President Jay Panda also expressed condolences over the passing away of the veteran leader,