Tarun Gogoi, the former Chief Minister of Assam, was the longest-serving Chief Minister of the state from 2001 to 2016.
He was a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) and led the party to a record three consecutive electoral victories.
Success in mitigating violence
Known for his evergreen smile, during his tenure as the Chief Minister, he is credited with ending militant insurgency including the United Liberation Front of Assam(ULFA), and mitigating violence in addition to improving Assam’s fiscal condition.
Gogoi’s extensive Political Journey
Gogoi was born on 1st April 1936 and started his political career as a member of the municipal board at Jorhat in 1968 before being elected to the Fifth Lok Sabha in 1971 from Jorhat.
He represented Kaliabor in Lok Sabha between 1991 and 1996, and then 12th and 13th Lok Sabha between 1998 and 2001. He became Chief Minister of Assam in 2001, serving a total of six terms as a member of parliament.
On 23 November 2020, Tarun Gogoi took his last breath at the age of 84 at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital due to COVID-19 induced complications and multiple organ failure.
He was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honor, in 2021.