Former Odisha chief minister and ex-Assam Governor Janaki Ballabh Patnaik passed away in Tirupati early Tuesday. He was 89.
The veteran Congress leader was admitted to a hospital in the temple town following a chest pain around midnight but could not be saved, his family said.
Patnaik, a three-time Odisha chief minister, was in Tirupati to attend the convocation ceremony of the Rashtriya Sanskrit University.
Odisha Governor S C Jamir and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik condoled the death of Patnaik while the state government announced a one-day holiday as a mark of respect to the Congress leader.
A week-long state mourning has also been declared, officials said, adding that the chief minister dropped his programme on the auspicious ‘Aksyaya Tritiya’ scheduled for the day.
Patnaik’s body is being brought to state capital Bhubaneswar; the last rites will be performed in Puri.