Silchar: Former Assam minister and four-time MLA Siddeque Ahmed died of cancer at his residence in Baraigram, Sribhumi district, on Sunday. He was 63.Family sources said Ahmed died around 8.10 am. His funeral prayers were held at 4.30 pm at his ancestral home in Tuker Bazar, where thousands gathered to pay their respects.Ahmed represented Karimganj South in Assam assembly four times. He was first elected in 2001 on a Samata Party ticket and retained the seat as an Independent in 2006.He joined Congress before the 2011 assembly election and won the seat for a third time. After losing to AIUDF’s Aziz Ahmed Khan in 2016, he returned to the assembly in 2021 by defeating Khan.Ahmed served as minister of state with independent charge of cooperation and border areas development in Tarun Gogoi-led Congress govt from 2011 to 2014. He was elevated to cabinet rank in 2015 and later handled the industries and commerce, power, and public enterprises portfolios until the govt’s term ended in 2016.A prominent political figure in the Barak Valley, Ahmed remained associated with issues concerning southern Assam and the region throughout his career.
