Tarun Gogoi

Tarun Gogoi served as chief minister of Assam from 2001 to 2016, the longest tenure in the state’s history. He was named for the Padma Bhushan posthumously in 2021 in the field of public affairs, from Assam ^[1].

From Jorhat

Gogoi was born on 1 April 1936 and took a law degree from Gauhati University; he was a member of the Assam Bar Council ^[2]. He began in public life in 1968 as a member of the municipal board in Jorhat ^[2].

Parliament

In 1971 he was elected to the Lok Sabha ^[2]. He went on to serve in the fifth, sixth, seventh, tenth, twelfth and thirteenth Lok Sabhas, and was Union minister of state for food and food processing industries in 1991 and 1996 ^[2]. He was a member of the Assam assembly from 1996 to 1998 ^[2].

Chief minister

He became chief minister in 2001 and won three elections in a row ^[2]. His tenure is credited with bringing peace to a state troubled by insurgency and with restoring its finances so that salaries were paid regularly ^[2]. His government promoted self-help groups, skills training and jobs for rural women and young people, and built the sports facilities for the 12th South Asian Games, held in 2016 ^[2]. Operation Smile gave him its Universal Smile award for his drive to make Assam free of untreated cleft lip and palate ^[2].

Tarun Gogoi died on 23 November 2020 ^[2].