Congress veteran and leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Narasingha Mishra has announced that he will not contest in the 2019 elections as he will be 79 years old by then.
He had earlier told AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi that he does not want to be in electoral politics after the age of 70, he said on Thursday.
But Mishra denied reports that he would take Sannyas from politics. “I was born in politics, am currently in politics and will continue to be in politics till end,” he remarked.
Mishra, who represents the Balangir constituency in the legislature and is a former Minister, said as a politician he would continue to be in touch with people.
According to political circles, a younger family member of Mishra is likely to step into his shoes as far as electoral politics in Balangir is concerned.