Sitting Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA and candidate in the Patkura Assembly constituency Bed Prakash Agarwalla died at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. He had been undergoing medical treatment for the past few days. 
Mr. Agarwalla (84) is survived by wife, two daughters and a son.
Patkura is one of the seven Assembly segments under the Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat from where former BJD MP Baijayant Panda is seeking re-election as the BJP nominee.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik condoled the death of Mr. Agarwalla, who was elected to the Assembly four times — twice from Patkura in 2009 and 2014.
Describing the late leader as an able parliamentarian and administrator, Mr. Patnaik conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved family. “His death is a great loss for all of us. His organisational ability and dedication for the welfare of general public will be remembered forever. He was also a close associate of Biju Babu,” he said.