Bhubaneswar, Oct 12 : Former Odisha Assembly Speaker Sarat Kumar Kar passed away at a private hospital here on Monday. He was 81. Kar was admitted to a private hospital after testing positive for Covid-19. Born in Cuttack district in 1939, the veteran leader was elected to the state Assembly thrice from the Mahanga constituency. He had held several portfolios as a minister in the state government from April 1971 to June 1972 and July 1990 to January 1993. Kar was also elected to the Lok Sabha from Cuttack on Janata Party ticket in 1977. He was the Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly from 2000 to 2004. A great devotee of Lord Jagannath, Kar has written several books. Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President Niranjan Patnaik and several other political leaders expressed their condolences following the death of Kar. "His contributions to the socio political & cultural life of Odisha will be remembered for ever," said the Governor. He also conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved family. /IANS