English: Ramesh Chandra Panda (24 November 1935 – 18 December 2003) was a prominent Indian politician and social activist from Odisha. He is best known for serving three terms as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Ranpur Assembly constituency. His father, Madan Sundar Panda, was a freedom fighter who participated in the Ranpur Praja rebellion. He began his political journey as a student leader at Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, where he joined the Student’s Federation. He was born in Mayurjhalia, Raj-Ranpur, in the Nayagarh district of Odisha. He represented Ranpur in the 5th, 6th, and 7th Odisha Legislative Assemblies, winning elections in 1971, 1974, and 1977, and Initially a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI), he joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) in 1964 following the party split. In his later years, he became a member of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). He served as the chairman of the Ranpur block in 1967. He married Krishna Kumari Panda (also referred to as Krishna Devi) in 1956. He had five children (two sons and three daughters). His younger son, Sabyasachi Panda, became a well-known Naxalite-Maoist leader. He died on 18 December 2003 in his native village of Mayurjhalia at the age of 68.