Senior BJP leader and former Odisha minister Samir Dey passed away on Monday afternoon while undergoing treatment at Ashwini Hospital in Cuttack. He was 67. According to reports, Dey was admitted to the hospital in Cuttack’s CDA area on November 1 after his health deteriorated.
“Samir Dey was suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes. Two years ago, he underwent a kidney transplant. Recently, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and a liver infection, which eventually led to multi-organ failure.
Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t save him. He breathed his last at 1.50 pm today,” said Dr Sampad Das of Ashwini Hospital.
A prominent figure in Odisha’s political landscape, Dey served as the state’s minister for higher education in the then Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s cabinet from 2004 to 2009. He also held the portfolio for urban development and higher education between 2000 and 2004. Dey was elected thrice in succession to the Odisha Legislative Assembly, representing Cuttack City in 1995, 2000, and 2004.
In the 1990s, Dey played a pivotal role in energizing the BJP in Odisha. His leadership and a strong cadre of youth supporters transformed the party into a formidable force in the state. Expressing her condolences on social media, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I’m deeply saddened by the demise of Samir Dey.
I pray to Lord Jagannath for the moksha of his soul.” The CM, currently on a four-day visit to Singapore, ann.
