New Delhi: In a tragic development, former Union Minister Arjun Charan Sethi breathed his last on Monday at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. His son Abhimanyu Sethi informed about the sad demise of his father.

Elected eight times to Lok Sabha, the 79 year old Sethi served as Water Resources Minister in former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabinet from 2000 to 2004.

Born on September 18, 1941, Arjun Sethi was elected to Lok Sabha from Odisha's Bhadrak constituency  as an Indian National Congress (I) candidate in 1971 and then again in 1980 from the same seat. During his active political years, Arjun Sethi played a crucial role in all round development of Bhadrak.

In 1991, Sethi contested from the same constituency but as a Janata Dal candidate and succeeded to once again become a Lok Sabha member.  He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2009 from the same constituency as a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate.

Ahead of 2019 elections, Arjun Sethi had quit BJD and joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Sethi is survived by two sons. His one son Abhimanyu Sethi, who informed about his father's demise, is also active in politics and is a member of BJP.