Odisha’s first tribal CM Hemananda Biswal passes away

Odisha’s first tribal chief minister as well as last Congress chief minister of the state, Hemananda Biswal passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar after a brief illness, on Friday

Updated on: Feb 26, 2022, 04:44:06 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Odisha’s first tribal chief minister as well as last Congress chief minister of the state, Hemananda Biswal passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar after a brief illness, on Friday. He was 82.

Biswal, a Bhuyan tribal from Jharsuguda district, served as the chief minister twice from 1989 to 1990 and 1999 to 2000. In December 1989, he replaced the then chief minister JB Patnaik, after the Congress(I) was routed in the Lok Sabha elections. In December 1999, he was again made chief minister after erstwhile chief minister Giridhari Gamang was replaced over his failure in relief and rehabilitation measures in the aftermath of 1999 super cyclone that ripped through Odisha coast.

In 2000 assembly polls, the Congress was routed by BJD-BJP combine and the party has never been able to come back to power since then.

Biswal began his political journey as a chairman of Kirimira panchayat samiti in Jharsuguda district. He was elected to the Odisha assembly for the first time in 1974 from Laikera constituency. He was elected to assembly as MLA six times from the same seat. In 2009 he was elected as an MP from Sundargarh.

In 1995, he was made deputy chief minister by JB Patnaik.

Expressing grief, president of state Congress committee, Niranjan Patnaik said Biswal stood for Congress’s ideals throughout his life. “Congress will miss him dearly,” said Patnaik.

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

Follow India news real-time updates and the latest news covered on Hindustan Times, featuring today's critical updates on Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike LIVE and more across India.