BJD MLA Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha passes away in Bhubaneswar hospital

Among the strongest tribal leaders in western Odisha, Bariha from Binjhal tribe, was first elected to Odisha Assembly in 1990 on Janata Dal ticket

Published on: Oct 3, 2022, 12:25:40 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Veteran tribal leader Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha, who was also the tribal development minister in chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s cabinet between 2009 and 2011 passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar late on Sunday night.

In 2014 assembly polls, he lost to Pradip Purohit of BJP but won again in 2019 assembly polls. (HT photo)

He was 65 and is survived by his wife Tilottama Singh Bariha, daughters Barsha Singh Bariha, Kadambini Singh Bariha and son Bhojraj Singh Bariha.

Bariha was undergoing treatment at the hospital for quite some time due to several ailments.

Bariha’s mortal remains will be taken to Odisha Assembly and BJD headquarters where leaders from all political parties will pay tributes.

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His body will then be taken to his ancestral house at Padampur in Bargarh district.

Among the strongest tribal leaders in western Odisha, Bariha from Binjhal tribe, was first elected to Odisha Assembly in 1990 on Janata Dal ticket. He was re-elected again in 1995 on Janata Dal and then in 2000 on BJD ticket.

He lost the seat to Satya Bhushan Sahu of Congress in 2004, but won again in 2009 and was made tribal development minister till 2011.

In 2014 assembly polls, he lost to Pradip Purohit of BJP but won again in 2019 assembly polls.

With his death, the strength of Odisha Assembly has come down to 145.

Last month, BJP MLA from Dhamnagar, Bishnu Sethi passed away at AIIMS Bhubaneswar after a prolonged illness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More