Odisha: J B Patnaik, a veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Odisha at 88 died today early hours around 3:00 AM due to chest pain late night yesterday at Tirupati.

Janaki Ballav Patnaik who is the former Governor of Assam and three-time Chief Minister of Odisha passed away today in early hours on his stay at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. It is reported that being Chancellor of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha University, he went to Tirupati from Bhubaneswar in order to attend the convocation ceremony on Monday.

There on stay, he got a mild chest pain during late night around 3:00 PM yesterday and was moved to a private hospital in Tirupati where he took his last breath at 3 in the morning. His son-in-law, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik told media that all these regarding the former CM.

Being born on January 3, 1927 in Puri, he served his state as CM from 1980 to 1989 and from 1995 to 1999. Later he stood as Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly from 2004 to 2009. Starting as a journalist, he wrote many books and considered as a Sanskrit scholar apart from life of politics.

He spend his complete life for the people of Odisha being CM and lived rest with his wife Jayanti Patnaik, one son and  two daughters. He returned to Odisha after service as Governor of Assam for five years. Pruthvi Ballav Patnaik (son) and two daughters are named as Sudatta Patnaik and Supriya Patnaik.

Officials at Tirupati said that the body of late leader, JB Patnaik will be brought to Bhubaneswar by a special flight for cremation at Swargadwara in Puri.