Tura, Aug 16: Former Meghalaya Chief Minister, Salseng C Marak, passed away at Tura Civil Hospital after battling age-related illness on Friday morning. He was 83-years-old.

His mortal remains have been taken to his home constituency of Resubelpara in North Garo Hills where he will be laid to rest on Saturday.

According to family members, the veteran politician from Garo Hills had been facing poor health for the last few weeks and became weak, leading to his hospitalization.

Marak had been admitted to the Holy Cross Hospital on August 8, 2024 and was shifted to the Tura Civil Hospital on August 12, where he breathed his last.

Marak was also known as ‘Mr. Clean’ for his relentless pursuit for a corruption-free and progressive Meghalaya.

He was the chief minister of the State from 1993 to 1998, becoming the first leader to serve full 5 – year term without changing party. He became the Chief Minister when the state was going through political instability during early 1990s, when regional forces were at the forefront of government formations and takedowns. Despite multiple attempts to bring down his government by regional forces, he remained the CM for the full term.

He completed his BA in Arts from Union Christian College, Umiam. He also studied at the Scottish Church College in Kolkata.

He was a loyal Congress leader and remained so till the end. He was also the president of Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) in 2003.

He had represented the Resubelpara constituency in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly consecutively from 1972 till 2003, when he faced defeat against NCP’s Timothy D Shira. He, however, won back the constituency in 2013 assembly polls. But Timothy won the seat again in 2018 election representing the NPP. In 2023, Marak did not contest due to his age and health issues.

Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, took to X (formerly Twitter) to condole the demise of Marak. He wrote: “Deeply saddened to learn of the demise of former CM Salseng C Marak. His contributions to Meghalaya’s development will always be remembered. My condolences to his family and loved ones. May he rest in peace.”

Deeply saddened to learn of the demise of former CM Salseng C Marak. His contributions to Meghalaya’s development will always be remembered. My condolences to his family and loved ones. May he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/mj8sHGoMP9

— Conrad K Sangma (@SangmaConrad) August 16, 2024

Also Read: A special Independence Day: ‘Rapture’ brings euphoria to Tura crowd

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