Bhubaneswar, Nov. 7: The death of firebrand Congress leader and former MLA Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra, aka Lulu, at a private hospital in Gurgaon last night, has come at a time when the Congress is trying to reinvent itself in the state.

That the loss of Mohapatra is a major blow to the party was evident in the statement of Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan who said the death was an irreparable loss to the organisation.

Not just Harichandan, several Congress leaders admitted that his untimely death would weaken the party organisation. Harichandan described Mohapatra as the "leader of youths" and remembered he had saved the Congress government in the late nineties from defeat in a no-trust vote.

"He could promptly ensure the presence of party MLAs in the Assembly when there was a demand for division of votes," said Harichandan, who was then a party MLA.

To several Congress leaders Mohapatra was a crisis manager and had played an instrumental role in the party's returning to power in 1995 after its severe debacle in the 1990 Assembly elections. Congress legislators Prakash Behera and Anshuman Mohanty also remembered Mohapatra role and described him as an icon for students and youths.

A three-time legislator, Mohapatra had started his political career as a student leader at BJB College in the city. He was elected as the state president of National Students Union of India in 1987 and had played a leading role in the Mandal agitation. He was elected president of state Youth Congress in 1996.

Known as a close aide of former chief minister J.B. Patnaik, Mohapatra was first elected to the Assembly in 1995 from Brahmagiri constituency in Puri district at the age of 32 years. He was elected to the Assembly again in 2000 and 2004.

Mohapatra's long-time political opponent and chief minister Naveen Patnaik said the 52-year-old leader was an "able administrator".

Naveen's cabinet colleague Sanjay Das Burma, who defeated Mohapatra twice in the 2009 and 2014 Assembly elections, said the Congress leader had a great influence on students and youths.

In spite of being defeated in the 2009 and 2014 Assembly elections, Mohapatra was actively associated with the party organisation. He was the working president of Pradesh Congress Committee during 2004-09 and led the agitation against the BJD government in the state.

He had thrown his support behind the youth and student leaders who showed black flags and hurled eggs at chief minister and his ministerial colleagues. He was also one of the first Congress leaders who expressed concern over and understood the implications of the growing rift between the party organisation and its legislative wing.

Senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan and state BJP chief Basant Kumar Panda said Mohapatra was a popular leader.

People from various walks of life assembled at the city airport to pay their respects to the departed leader, whose body was flown here from New Delhi this evening.

A condolence meeting was held at the state Congress headquarters here, where the party flag flew at half mast.