BHUBANESWAR: Senior Congress leader and former Odisha MLA Basudev Majhi passed away here after prolonged illness.
He was 67. Majhi is survived by his wife, three sons and three daughters, family sources said.
Eight-time MLA from Kotpad in Koraput district, Majhi was ailing for quite some time. He had been admitted to a private hospital here a few days ago and passed away late last night, they said.
A popular tribal leader, Majhi had joined Congress in 1964 and remained loyal to the national party all through winning his first assembly election from Kotpad in 1974.
He did not contest the 2014 Assembly elections because of illness, party sources said.
He was the chairman of Kotpad Panchayat Samiti from 1971 to 1974. He was also the chairman of the Committee on Welfare of SC and ST of the State Assembly.
A host of leaders including Odisha Pradesh Congress committee (OPCC) President, Jaydev Jena have condoled the death of Majhi.
"Majhi was a polular tribal leader. He always raised tribal issues in the assembly and other fora," Jena said in a condolence message.