Sugnana Kumari Deo, 10-Time MLA from Khallikote Royal Family Passes Away

Bhubaneswar: A ten-time MLA and scion of the erstwhile Khallikote royal family, V. Sugnana Kumari Deo, passed away at a private hospital in Chennai on Friday late night at the age of 87.

According to reports, the ‘Khallikote queen’ breathed her last at around 12.45 am.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had on Friday visited the hospital and enquired about her health.

Political leaders cutting across party lines expressed grief over the demise of Deo.

She was born in Chennai on August 5, 1937. She married a descendant of the Khallikote royal family, Purnachandra Mardaraj Deo. She was elected as MLA in 1963, 1974, 1977, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2014. Despite being a 10-time MLA, she never desired to be a minister.