Tura, Aug 16: Former Meghalaya Chief Minister and Congress leader Salseng C Marak passed away in a Tura hospital on Friday. He was 83.
A state funeral is being accorded for the former chief minister by the Meghalaya Government, announced Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
His mortal remains are being taken to his home constituency of Resubelpara in North Garo Hills where he will be laid to rest on Saturday.
Marak had been battling poor health for the past few weeks and was admitted to Tura Civil Hospital, last week.
Old age and frailty was attributed to his hospitalization.
He had represented Resubelpara for an uninterrupted period of almost two decades since the 1970s and first faced defeat against opposition candidate Timothy D Shira in 2008 assembly polls.
Marak emerged victorious for the last time from Resubelpara in the 2013 assembly polls.
Salseng Marak was among the rare breed of politicians who managed to successfully navigate through political instability in a state that was infamous for coalition government collapses.
He took over from D D Lapang and led the state for a full five year term from February 1993 to March 1998. Late B B Lyngdoh took over from him to form the next coalition government of regional parties, but failed to break Marak’s five year term.
But, he also went down in the history of Meghalaya politics for holding the shortest period of 12 days in government when he tried to form the next government when the state threw up a fractured verdict.
He became state CM on March 10, 1998 but could continue for just 12 days when his Congress-led coalition resigned paving way for United Parliamentary Forum leader BB Lyngdoh to become the next CM.
As Congress Parliamentary leader in the opposition, hecame close to bringing down the NCP-led coalition Government of Dr F A Khonglam in December 2002 on the issue of granting licence for running a lottery in the state. He eventually abandoned the move due to opposition of other senior leaders.
