Bhubaneswar: Sarat Kar, former speaker of Odisha Assembly passed away at a private hospital on Monday. He was 81.
Confirming the news, Sarat Kar’s son Suman informed that his father was ill for the past few days and breathed his last at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar today.
As per reports, Sarat Kar had recently tested positive for COVID-19 and was undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Born in 1939 in Cuttack district, Sarat Kar was elected to Odisha Legislative Assembly thrice from 1971-74, 1990-95 and 2000-2004 from Mahanga constituency.
He was elected as a Janata Party (Lok Dal) MP in 1977 from Cuttack after defeating Congress stalwart and the then sitting Union Minister, JB Patnaik. He was the speaker of the 12th Assembly from 10 March 2000 to 21 May 2004.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the demise of Sarat Kar.
Apart from Patnaik, several other leaders cutting across party lines paid their tributes to the departed soul.