V Sugnana Kumari Deo, a veteran BJD leader and ten-term MLA from the Khallikote royal family, passed away on Saturday while receiving care at a private hospital in Chennai. She was eighty-seven.
At 12:44 am, she passed away in the hospital.
Deo was first elected to the Odisha Assembly in 1963. Throughout her political career, she has won ten times, twice from Kabisuryanagar and once from Khallikote constituencies. She is a member of the Khallikote royal family. As the queen of Khallikote, she possesses a unique identity and dignity. She served as an MLA for Khallikote eight times and Kabisuryanagar two times.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had hurried to a private hospital in Chennai on Friday, shortly after the news of her illness surfaced, to find out more about her health. The political community in Odisha has offered their sincere condolences for Deo’s tragic passing.
Deo has a distinct identity as a social worker in addition to being a politician. She was born on August 5, 1937, in Chennai. Purnachandra Mardaraj Deo was her husband, and King R V M Miladri Deo was her father. In 1963, 1974, 1977, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2004, 2009, and 2014, she was chosen as the MLA.
On the Congress ticket, Deo was first elected to the State Assembly in 1963. She was elected again and led the Utkal Congress, serving as MLA from 1974 to 1977. Using a ticket from Janata Dal, she was elected to the Khallikote MLA position three times, from 1977 to 1980. From 1985 to 1990, she was elected to the Legislative Assembly four times, each time representing the same political party. In 1990–1995, she was elected from Khallikote a fifth time. In the 1995–2000 election, she also defeated Janta Dal. On BJD tickets, she was elected to two terms in Kabisuryanagar, from 2009 to 2014 and 2014 to 2019.
Deo also served on a number of the Odisha Legislative Assembly committees. Despite having served as an MLA ten times, she never stated that she wanted to become a minister.
After the passing of Deo, one of the MLAs with the longest tenure, condolences poured in from all sides.
“The sad passing of prominent politician, former MLA, and Khallikote queen V Sugnana Kumari Deo saddens me greatly. In Odisha, she was a very well-liked person. Odisha lost a vocal leader with her death. She will always be recognised for her service to society as the people’s representative in state politics. I hope her soul is at peace! My condolences go out to the family members who have lost a loved one. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan posted on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) with the message “Om Shanti.”
“Rani Sugnana Devi was one of the few individuals who resisted temptation from wealth and power. In an effort to improve the lot of her people, she served as an MLA for ten terms representing Khalikote and Kabisuryanagar in the Odisha Assembly. However, she consistently declined offers of ministerships and other positions. Her coworkers feared and revered her, and her people loved her. She served as an example for me, was consistently kind to me, and comforted and supported me through trying times. BJP National Vice-President Baijayant Panda tweeted, “Om Shanti.”
