Kendrapara, Oct 19: Former MLA Utkal Keshari Parida passed away at the age of 63. He died in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar after a prolonged illness. Parida had been facing health challenges for some time, as confirmed by his son, Kalinga Keshari Parida.
Elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly from Kendrapara on an Odisha Gana Parishad (OGP) ticket in the 2004 elections, he secured victory with 60,848 votes, defeating BJP candidate Bed Prakash Agarwal.
In addition to his political career, Parida was unanimously elected as Vice President of the Odisha Archery Association in 2021. He also held the position of Director at the Jute Marketing Co-operative Society.