According to family members, Syeda Anwara Taimur was suffering from a prolonged illness. She was living with her son in Australia for the last several years.
Former Assam Chief Minister Syeda Anwara Taimur passed away in Australia today. The lone woman Chief Minister of the state was 84-years-old. Her family has claimed that she was suffering from prolonged illnesses for some time. She was staying with her son in Australia for the last several years. Taimur served as the chief minister of the state from December 6, 1980, to June 30, 1981.
With the news of her demise, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and several other leaders have expressed their condolences. “Saddened by the sudden demise of former Chief Minister of Assam, Syeda Anwara Taimur. Praying for the departed soul, I offer my heartfelt condolences to her family members and well-wishers,” tweeted Sonowal.
Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma termed it a big loss for the state. "An able administrator and affable people's person, Syeda Mam was the only woman CM of Assam. A 4-term MLA, she had an illustrious political career spanning over 4 decades. My prayers & condolences Folded hands,” Sarma said in a tweet.
Before joining politics Taimur was a lecturer of economics in Debicharan Barua Girls College, Jorhat. She was elected as an MLA four times in 1972, 1978, 1983, and 1991. In 1988 she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. In 1991 she was given the agriculture portfolio in the Assam cabinet. She left the Congress to join the AIUDF in 2011.
She also made recent headlines, as her name was missing from the NRC list in 2018. “It is sad that my name is not there in the list. I will return to Assam in the last week of August and then initiate the process to get my name and that of my family’s enlisted in the NRC,” she had said.