Ex-Assam minister, Bihar Guv Devanand Konwar passes away

Veteran politician Devanand Konwar, who had served as a cabinet minister in two Congress-led governments in Assam and later as the Governor of three states, passed away at his residence in Guwahati at the age of 77.

Guwahati (Assam): Veteran politician and former Governor of Bihar, West Bengal, and Tripura Devananda Konwar passed away at his residence in Guwahati on Saturday. He was 77.

Konwar was suffering from age-related ailments for past several weeks, his family members said.

Born in 1943 in Assam's Sivasagar district, Konwar started off as an English teacher at the historic Cotton College in Guwahati and later switched to politics by joining the Indian National Congress.

He served as a minister in the Assam cabinets led by former Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia in 1991 and later in the cabinet of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in 2001.

Konwar body will be taken to his native village for the last rites.

Konwar had represented the Thaora constituency in Sivasagar district for three terms.

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Later on, Konwar was appointed as the Governor of Bihar in 2009, eventually being given the additional responsibility of West Bengal the same year.

Four years later, he was made the Governor of Tripura.

• Saddened to learn about the demise of former Governor of Bihar, WB & Tripura and former Assam Minister Devananda Konwar. My sincere condolences to bereaved family members and well-wishers. pic.twitter.com/PGqMmNcJ0U

  — Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) April 25, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Saddened to learn about the demise of former Governor of Bihar, WB & Tripura and former Assam Minister Devananda Konwar. My sincere condolences to bereaved family members and well-wishers. pic.twitter.com/PGqMmNcJ0U

  — Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) April 25, 2020

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  Saddened to learn about the demise of former Governor of Bihar, WB & Tripura and former Assam Minister Devananda Konwar. My sincere condolences to bereaved family members and well-wishers. pic.twitter.com/PGqMmNcJ0U

  — Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) April 25, 2020

Offering condoleces to Konwar's family, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal tweeted, "Saddened to learn about the demise of former Governor of Bihar, WB & Tripura and former Assam Minister Devananda Konwar. My sincere condolences to bereaved family members and well-wishers."

Meanwhile, Konwar's family said that his body will now be taken to his native village in Nitaipukhuri for the last rites.

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