Ex-Odisha minister Kamala Das passes away

Bhubaneswar: Former Odisha minister and three-time Bhograi MLA Kamala Das died at a hospital in Cuttack early on Friday. She was 79.

Das was admitted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar two weeks ago after she complained of chest pain. During the course of the treatment, she was diagnosed with a lung infection, her family said. Later, she was shifted to a hospital in Cuttack.

Das was first elected as an MLA in 1990 from Bhograi seat in Balasore district on a Janata Dal ticket. She was re-elected in 1995, and then again in 2000 as a BJD candidate. She served as ministers in both Biju Patnaik and Naveen Patnaik governments and held the portfoliois of Education & Youth Services, Health & Family Welfare and Woman and Child Development.

Das was dropped as a minister in 2001. Following that, she switched over to Congress. She returned to BJD in 2014.