Tarun Gogoi: A six-time MP, he served as Assam CM for 15 years

Former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi. (Express Photo)

Former Assam Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi passed away Monday. He was suffering from multi-organ dysfunction.

The three-time chief minister of Assam, Gogoi had a political career spanning over 50 years in which he assumed varied positions within the Congress party, central government as well as Assam’s state administration.

Born on April 1, 1936 into an ethnic Assamese Tai-Ahom family at Rangajan Tea Estate located in erstwhile Sivasagar district, now Jorhat district of Assam.His father, Dr Kamaleshwar Gogoi was a medical practitioner at the tea estate while his mother, Usha Gogoi, was known for her collection of poetry –– Hiyar Samahar.

Gogoi did his primary education at the No.26 Rangajan Nimna Buniyadi Vidyalaya before moving to Jorhat Madrassa School, Bholaguri High School located near Badulipar Tea Estate and finally Jorhat Government High School from where he passed the HSLC Examination. Completing his graduation from Jagannath Barooah College, he did his LLB from Gauhati University, Assam.

With his first stint as member of Parliament starting in 1971, he went on to be elected to the Lok Sabha a total of six times. He also served as the joint secretary of All India congress Committee in 1976 and president of Assam’s Pradesh Congress Committee from 1986-91.

During Narasimha Rao’s tenure (1991-95) as the Prime Minister, Gogoi served in the Union cabinet as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Food and Food Processing Industry.

Gogoi led the Congress to a record three consecutive electoral victories in Assam in 2001, 2006 and 2011, and served as the chief minister of the state for 15 years (2001-2016), thus becoming the longest-serving chief minister of the state.

In 2016 Assembly elections in Assam, though the BJP along with its allies defeated the Congress government, Gogoi managed to win from Titabar Assembly constituency.

In August this year, Gogoi was admitted to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 and was discharged after recovery. However, he was again rushed to GMCH on November 2 with post-COVID complications and was on non-invasive ventilation (NIV). He was put on invasive ventilation on Saturday night as his condition deteriorated.

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