Pratap Keshari Deo

Maharaja Pratap Keshari Deo was the last ruler of Kalahandi State 1939-1947 and an Indian politician in post-independence India. He was elected from the Kalahandi in Odisha to the Lower House of the Indian Parliament the Lok Sabha.[1][2][3] He was deputy Leader of the Opposition, Orissa Legislative Assembly, 1952—56.[4]

His contribution for the reorganisation of princely States, particularly, annexation of Kalahandi with the Union of India and Odisha is highly appreciated.[5] He was instrumental in establishing a popular Government in the erstwhile Kalahandi state based on decentralisation of power. In the post-independent era, his contribution to Kalahandi had acquired larger significance in the context of Orissa.

During princely state Kalahandi, a major irrigation project was initiated on Indravati River to build Indravati Dam by Maharaja Pratap Keshari Deo around 1939–47,[6] and along with engineer Bhubaneswar Behera and administrator Ram Chandra Patra he visualized and prepared the blue print. However, in 1948 princely state of Kalahandi was merged as part of Odisha state and this could not be materialized. In post independence period as member of parliament he fought from 1950-1979 but was not able succeed as he was in the opposition of congress party until a new Govt. formed by late prime minister Maraji Desai in 1978, who accepted Deo's proposal to construct the Indravati dam for hydroelectricity generation and irrigation purposes. Many people think such delay was due to Congress Party which was ruling India since independence and was not in a favour of development of a Lok Sabha Constituency which was represented by a non-Congress party. After late prime minister Moraji Desai's approval and foundation stone in 1978, the project took more than two decades to be realised and was alleged with corruption. However, the project is a major boost to agricultural development today known as Upper Indravati Hydroelectric and irrigation project.

As a member of parliament he continue to raise about Indravati Dam and rail connectivity from Kesinga to Ambaguda via Bhawanipatna and Junagarh. In 1962-63 late he had pointed out in the Parliament that Parkers had done a railway line survey from Kesinga to Nabarangpur to join Kothavalasa-Kirandul (KK) line, because Koraput-Kothavalasa and Koraput-Rayagada are e-special category railway routes having many tunnels and high-level bridges; the speed is limited (often less than 50 kmph) and number of wagon can’t exceed 30 during mineral transportations in these two routes.[7] Subsequently, Lanjigarh–Junagarh section under East Coast Railway Zone was completed in March 2014, which was sanctioned when local MP Bhakta Charan Das was minister of state for railway in 1990-91.

Pratap Keshari Deo was an outstanding Member of Orissa Legislative Assembly and subsequently of the Lok Sabha. In his death Orissa has lost a great son whose contribution to the state will always remembered. His contributions to archeology and history of Kalahandi is immense. He initiated to establish Kalahandi Science College in 1960 and it was taken over by the Government of Odisha in 1961. It was then renamed as Govt. Science College, Bhawanipatna followed by Govt. Autonomous College Bhawanipatna.[8] Recently this college has been upgraded to Kalahandi University.

As a member of Swatantra Party Pratap Keshari Deo aligned with Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo who became the chief minister 1967-71. During this period Pratap Keshari Deo made his follower Dayanidhi Naik as minister in the Odisha Govt. leaded by Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo and able to negotiate and bring much infrastructure development in roads, schools and building in Kalahandi region, otherwise ignored, through his follower Dayanidhi Naik.

He has a special interest in archeology[9] and established the archeology society of Kalahandi. He contributed to bringing out historical sites in Kalahandi region such as Asurgarh and Belkhandi.