Aishwarya Samanta 
Veteran Congressman and ex-Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi breathed his last on Monday at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) at the age of 86. Gogoi was the longest-serving Chief Minister of Assam as his tenure stretched from 2001 until 2016.
After testing positive for COVID-19, Gogoi was rushed to the hospital on August 26. But just a week after his release, post-COVID symptoms started to resurface and he was again admitted to the hospital on November 02 and was kept under non-invasive ventilation but his condition deteriorated on Sunday. After the doctors declared his situation to be extremely critical on Monday, he breathed his last due to multiple organ failure.
Family and Education:
Born on October 11, 1934 to Dr. Kamaleswar Gogoi and Usha Gogoi, Tarun Gogoi, Tarun spent his childhood in an ethnic Assamese Tai Ahom household at Rangajan Tea Estate in Sivasagar which is now known by the name of Jorhat district of Assam. While his father was a medical practioner, his mother was a poet by profession.
Tarun Gogoi completed his graduation from Jagannath Barooah College in Jorhat. Later, Gogoi went on to complete his LLB from the Gauhati University. In July 1972, Gogoi married Dolly Gogoi who was a zoology post-graduate from the same university.
Political journey:
Under the tenure of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the year 1976, Gogoi was first elected as the Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). From the year 1985 to 1990, Gogoi served as general secretary of the AICC under the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Within his 50 years of political career, Gogoi served for six terms as a Lok Sabha MP from his home state Assam. For three terms between 1971 and 1985, Gogoi represented Jorhat. Later in 1991-96, he was elected from Kaliabor followed in 1998-2002. Tarun Gogoi’s son Gaurav Gogoi currently presides the Kaliabor seat.
While many misunderstood Gogoi’s simple nature as his weakness, it was actually a smart move to strategize against his opposition parties. While Gogoi’s death has left a major void in the Congress camp, the nation lost an irreplaceable gem. Gogoi’s funeral will be taking place on November 26. As a gesture of tribute to the departed soul, the state of Assam will observe state mourning for the three days.
