Bhubaneswar, Oct 15 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra on Sunday said that he will not be contesting next year's assembly elections due to his age.

Mishra, who is the leader of the Congress legislative party, said he has made up his mind about it.

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"I have made up my mind not to contest any election as I am 83 years old now, and suffering from various diseases. However, the party will take the final call," he said.

Mishra, the MLA of Bolangir, said he has been convincing his party to accept the decision.

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He said his younger son Soumendra will contest his seat in the next assembly election, subject to the approval of the party.

"Till now, no other eligible candidate in the constituency has come to my notice. With the hope that Soumendra will be getting the ticket, campaigning has already started," he said.

Mishra, a five-time MLA, said he will also campaign for other Congress candidates in the district.

He served as a law minister from 1990 to 1995 in the Biju Patnaik government. He also served as the leader of opposition in the assembly from 2014 to 2019.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)