Syeda Anwara Taimur, only woman CM of Assam, passes away at 84 due to cardiac arrest

Syeda Anwara Taimur, the only woman to have held the post of chief minister of Assam, passed away at age 84 due to cardiac arrest, according to several media reports. She was living in Australia for the last four years. Taimur occupied the chief minister’s office from December 1980 to June 1981 as a member of the Congress, as per a report in Indian Express. She was elected to the state’s Legislative Assembly in 1972, 1978, 1983 and 1991, and held a ministerial berth twice, as per the report. She was also a member of the Rajya Sabha twice: in 1988 she was nominated to the Upper House, while in 2004 she was elected. Taimur joined the AIUDF party in 2011. In 2018, Taimur made headlines when her name wasn’t included in the Assam National Register of Citizens. “It is sad that my name is not there in the list. I will return to Assam in the last week of August and then initiate the process to get my name and that of my family’s enlisted in the NRC,”  she had said. However,  Hindustan Times reported that she later clarified that her family “may not have applied to get her name included in the list”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal were among the leaders who condoled her death. Modi tweeted, “Condolences to the family and well-wishers of former Assam CM, Syeda Anwara Taimur Ji. Her contributions towards Assam’s development will be remembered. May her soul rest in peace.” “Praying for the departed soul, I offer my heartfelt condolences to her family members and well-wishers,” Sonowal wrote on Twitter. Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “An able administrator and affable people’s person, Syeda Mam was the only woman CM of Assam. A 4-term MLA, she had an illustrious political career spanning over 4 decades. My prayers & condolences.”

A big loss for us all as former CM Syeda Anwara Taimur breathed her last.

An able administrator and affable people's person, Syeda Mam was the only woman CM of Assam. A 4-term MLA, she had an illustrious political career spanning over 4 decades. My prayers & condolences 🙏 pic.twitter.com/8FSDy0wle2

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 28, 2020

Assam governor Jagdish Mukhi also said that Taimur was a “veteran mass leader who championed the cause of politics with an undertone of people’s development”. He added, “I convey my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members.” Assam Congress leaders Ripun Bora and Debabrata Saikia also condoled Taimur’s death.