Bhubaneswar, Dec 30 (IANS): Senior BJD leader and former Odisha Assembly Speaker Kishore Mohanty passed away on Thursday following a heart attack. He was 63.

According to family sources, Mohanty, a four-time MLA, suffered from a heart attack following which he was admitted to a hospital in Jharsuguda town, where he breathed his last during treatment.

A four-time MLA, Mohanty was first elected to the Odisha Assembly in 1990 from Jharsuguda on a Janata Dal ticket. He was again elected from Jharsuguda in 2000 and 2004.

In the 2019 election, he was elected from the Brajrajnagar Assembly constituency defeating BJP candidate Radha Rani Panda.

The MLA had also been government chief whip, and Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) Chairman. He was also served as a Rajya Sabha member in 2009-2012.

Political leaders across the party line including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed deep grief over the sudden death of Mohanty.