BHUBANESWAR: ‘Rani Maa’ of Khallikote, V Sugnana Kumari Deo is no more. She passed away at a private hospital in Chennai on Saturday at the age of 87. Loved and revered by her constituents, Sugnana Kumari politely turned down offers of ministerial berths during her political career spanning over six decades. “I am a queen, and queens never become ministers,” she would say whenever discussions regarding representation of Ganjam district in the state cabinet took place.
She was elected 10 times to the Odisha State Assembly from Khallikote and Kabisuryanagar constituencies but refused to be trapped by limitations of the office of the ministers.
Born in Chennai on August 5, 1937 in the erstwhile royal family of Khallikote, Sugnana Kumari’s political journey began in 1961 when she was elected to the Assembly in a by-poll from Khallikote constituency on a Congress ticket after the demise of Raja Ramchandra Mardaraj Deo.
She joined Utkal Congress and became an MLA from 1974-1977. Sugnana Kumari then switched to Janata Party and was re-elected from Khallikote in 1977 and 1985. Such was her aura and popularity that she continued to win from the same constituency even after she became a member of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in 1997. She moved to Kabisuryanagar after Khallikote was reserved for scheduled caste (SC) and was elected for two terms on BJD tickets in 2009 and 2014.
Her only defeat was in 1996 from Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency as a Janata Dal candidate against former prime minister and Congress veteran PV Narasimha Rao.
The ‘Rani Maa’ of Khallikote was a close associate of late Biju Patnaik and his colleague in Utkal Congress, Janata Party and later Janata Dal. Political leaders who had seen her during those days maintain she was the only person who could walk up to Biju Babu to point out if something was amiss in administration. In later years, she helped Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s entry to electoral politics from the Aska Lok Sabha seat after the demise of Biju Babu.
Apart from politics, social work was also her passion. She connected with the masses and on many occasions when she visited villages in her constituency, people would make a beeline to have a glimpse of her. She would choose to mingle freely with the masses to interact over sitting on the stage.
An avid reader, Sugnana Kumari could be seen immersed in a book in the lobby of the Assembly whenever she had time from her busy schedule as an MLA. Besides, she had interest in stamp collection, interior decoration, driving and writing. She also had interest in sports like tennis, cycling, table tennis and cricket.
A member of various committees of the Assembly, the post-graduate from prestigious Madras University, was a pro-tem speaker of the Assembly in 2009 and 2014.
Naveen, who visited an ailing Sugnana Kumari at a Chennai hospital a day before her death, said he was saddened by her demise. “She was a very senior leader of BJD and made a lot of contributions towards the party. She has left her mark in public service by representing both Khallikote and Kabisuryanagar. She was elected to the Assembly 10 times. It is an irreparable loss. May her soul rest in peace, and my deepest condolence to the bereaved family,” he wrote in a post on X.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, several ministers and senior leaders of political parties also condoled her death.