Former Assam Chief Minister and Congress stalwart Tarun Gogoi passes away at 86

Ex-Assam CM Tarun Gogoi passes away at 86 (image courtesy: tribuneindia.com)

Former Chief Minister of Assam and Congress stalwart Tarun Gogoi has passed away on Monday due to Coronavirus complications. He was on invasive ventilator for the past three days and passed away at 5:34 pm at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital. He was elected the Chief Minister of Assam on three consecutive occasions between 2001-16. He was 86 years old at the time of his passing.

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Asam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said earlier that the health of Tarun Gogoi had worsened considerably and circumstances looked bleak. Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal had also cancelled his programs at Dibrugarh to return to Guwahati to be at the side of Tarun Gogoi and his family. Condolences are pouring in for him from across the political spectrum.

Tarun Gogoi was elected Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in 1976 under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He was a six-time Lok Sabha MP between 1971-85, 1991-96 and 1998-2001 from the Kaliabor constituency. He was elected as an MLA four times from Titabor. He was a Union Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao between 1991-96.

On 26 August 2020, Gogoi was hospitalized with COVID-19 and was given a blood plasma transplant. His health deteriorated highly since the midnight of 23rd November.

OpIndia Staff: Staff reporter at OpIndia