Bhubaneswar: Former Gunupur MLA Ramamurthy Gomango has been convicted by a Special Court in Bhubaneswar for the murder of his wife, 27 years after her mysterious death.

The court reached a verdict of guilty based on the statements of 11 witnesses and 15 documents. The sentencing will be announced on Tuesday, according to sources.

In 1995, Gomango’s wife was discovered dead under enigmatic circumstances at their residence in Kharvela Nagar. It was reported that she was pregnant at the time. Initially registered as a case of unnatural death, it was later modified to a murder case.

Following the denial of a party ticket to contest for the Gunupur Assembly seat in 2014, Gomango resigned from the BJD and joined the BJP. He had previously been elected to the Assembly from the constituency in 1995 on a Janata Dal ticket. Gomango joined the BJP in 2000 and secured re-election in 2000 with a significant margin of over 30,000 votes.

However, in the 2004 Assembly election, he was defeated by his closest Congress rival, Hema Gomango, by a margin of approximately 20,000 votes. After the BJD severed ties with the BJP in 2009, Gomango left the party but returned after being denied a BJD ticket in 2014 to contest for the Gunupur Assembly seat.