Guwahati: Former Assam minister Ardhendu Kumar Dey died at a hospital here on Wednesday following a brief illness, family sources said.

He was 84.

Dey was undergoing treatment at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for some time, they said.

A former Congress minister, Dey’s mortal remains were taken to his residence at Hojai where the last rites were performed.

Dey was first elected to the state Legislative Assembly in 1991 from Hojai constituency and went on to hold it till 2006.

He was re-elected from the same constituency in 2011.

Dey held different portfolios, including Soil Conservation and Irrigation, in Tarun Gogoi’s Cabinet.

Denied a party ticket, he joined the BJP ahead of 2021 state elections.

BJP state president Bhabesh Kalita, expressing his condolences, said with Dey’s death, the state has lost an important leader.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee has also expressed grief at the death of its former leader.

APCC working president Kamalakshya Dey Purkayastha visited Dey’s Hojai residence and offered last respects on behalf of the party.

AIUDF supremo and Lok Sabha MP Badruddin Ajmal, in a condolence message, said Dey remained connected with the people and his death is a loss for the entire state.