Former Kendrapara MLA Utkal Keshari Parida passes away; CM Majhi, BJP VP Jay Panda, others express grief

Senior leader and former Kendrapara MLA Utkal Keshari Parida breathed his last while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. He was 65. Parida wasn’t well for a long time and was undergoing treatment in Bhubaneswar where he breathed his last, family sources said.

Born in Salaro village under Kendrapara’s Derabish block, Parida was active in politics since childhood. He forayed into politics as the President of Salipur College Students’ Union in 1980-81. Later, he went on to become the block chairman of Derabish.

In the 2004 elections, he was unanimously elected as Kendrapara MLA as a candidate of the Odisha Gana Parishad (OGP). He was then appointed as District BJD President of Kendrapara from 2019 to 2023. This apart, he was also unanimously elected as the Vice President of the Odisha Archery Association and also held the Director post at the Jute Marketing Co-operative Society.

CM Mohan Majhi, BJP National Vice-President Baijayant Panda, LoP Naveen Patnaik, and many other eminent personalities expressed grief and paid tributes to the departed soul.