Former Assam minister Siddeque Ahmed passes away at 64 after cancer battle

Former Assam minister and Congress leader Siddeque Ahmed died at his residence in Baraigram on Sunday, September 13, after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 64.

Ahmed had been undergoing treatment for cancer for some time and died at his home in Baraigram, in the Sribhumi district.

A prominent political figure from Assam’s Barak Valley, Ahmed represented the Karimganj South Assembly constituency for several terms. He first entered the Assam Legislative Assembly in 2001 and went on to serve as an MLA on multiple occasions.

Ahmed began his political career with the Samata Party and represented Karimganj South as its candidate in the 2001 Assembly election. He later contested as an Independent before joining the Congress. He won the Karimganj South seat on a Congress ticket in 2011 and returned to the Assembly in 2021 after losing the constituency in 2016.

During the tenure of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Ahmed served in the state government in different capacities. He was Minister of State with independent charge for Cooperation and Border Areas Development from 2011 to 2014. He was later inducted into the Cabinet and handled portfolios including Industries and Commerce, Power and Public Enterprises.

Ahmed was born on October 1, 1962, and hailed from Dalopar in the Patharkandi area of Karimganj. His political career was closely associated with Karimganj South, a constituency in the Barak Valley that has historically been a stronghold of the Congress. He secured a decisive victory from the seat in the 2021 Assembly election, defeating his nearest rival by more than 32,000 votes.

His death comes months after the 2026 Assam Assembly election, in which Congress fielded a new candidate from Karimganj South. Ahmed's name, however, remains part of the constituency's electoral history, having won the seat for Congress in 2011 and 2021.