Ex-Goa Dy CM Francis D'Souza dies at 64

Panaji (Goa) [India], Feb 14 (ANI): Former deputy chief minister of Goa and BJP MLA Francis D'Souza passed away on Thursday evening. He was 64.

D'Souza was undergoing treatment at a private hospital here after undergoing surgery for cancer at a hospital in the US.

Governor Mridula Sinha expressed grief over the demise of D'Souza and said, “It is with great sadness that I learned of passing of former deputy chief minister of Goa and BJP MLA from Mapusa, Francis D'Souza. On behalf of all Goans, Ram Kripal Sinha and I send our deepest condolences to his family members at this difficult time. Francis D'Souza was a tireless leader who devoted his entire life for the people of Goa. His passing is an enormous loss which has left a gaping hole among the ranks of able leaders.”

State Health Minister Viswjeet Rane tweeted: "Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Francis D'Souza, Ex-Deputy CM and MLA, Mapusa. We pray for his eternal soul and may almighty grant his loved ones the courage to live and cherish his memories. My condolences to the family.”

All government offices and schools in the state will remain closed on Friday. A three-day state mourning has also been announced.

BJP Goa spokesperson Damodar Naik told ANI over the phone that D’Souza passed away in a hospital this evening.

“I offer my condolences to his family. We have lost an iconic leader, who started his career from the scratch, from councillor to the top-most post,” Naik said.

D’Souza, who had been ailing for some months now, was dropped from the State cabinet along with his colleague Pandurang Madkaikar on health ground. He was removed from the cabinet when he was being treated in the US.

He was elected to Goa Legislative Assembly in the year 1999 as Goa Rajiv Congress party candidate and was later shifted to BJP to get elected to the state legislative assembly in 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017 from Mapusa constituency. (ANI)