Bhubaneswar, March 22 -- President Droupadi Murmu, Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and several political leaders expressed profound grief over the passing away of veteran BJD leader Damodar Rout.
Rout, a seven-time MLA who held several important portfolios in both the Biju Patnaik and Naveen Patnaik governments during his political career spanning over four decades, passed away on Friday morning while undergoing treatment following a massive cardiac arrest on March 18.
President Droupadi Murmu conveyed her condolences, saying, "Saddened by the demise of veteran leader Shri Damodar Rout who served as a minister several times in the Odisha Government."
She added that...