Ravi Naik, Goa agriculture minister and former Chief Minister, passes away at 79

Goa's agriculture minister Ravi Naik passed away on Wednesday after suffering a cardiac arrest, officials said.

A former Chief Minister of the state, Ravi Naik, was 79. He died in his hometown, 30km away from Panaji, news agency PTI reported.

Ravi Naik was reportedly being treated at a private hospital in the town of Ponda, where he was declared dead around 1 am.

Paying tribute to the former CM, incumbent Goa CM Pramod Sawant said Naik's leadership, humility and contribution to the public welfare will always be remembered. “Deeply saddened by the demise of our senior leader and Cabinet Minister Shri Ravi Naik Ji. A stalwart of Goan politics, his decades of dedicated service as Chief Minister, and Minister across key portfolios have left an indelible mark on the state’s Governance and people.”

His leadership, humility and contribution to public welfare will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and supporters in this moment of grief. Om Shanti," Sawant wrote on X.

An illustrious political career

Naik was seven times MLA (six times from the Ponda assembly constituency and once from the Marcaim assembly constituency) as a candidate of parties including Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Congress and the BJP over the years.

The late legislator was elected from the Ponda assembly constituency consistently in 1999, 2002, 2007 and 2017 on Congress tickets, and in 2022, on a BJP ticket.

A two-time Chief Minister, Naik first assumed office from January 1991 to May 1993, leading a coalition government of the Progressive Democratic Front. In 1994, he briefly returned as CM for just six days, from 2 to 8 April, becoming the shortest-serving CM of the state.

Naik was also a Member of Parliament from North Goa in 1998 as a Congress candidate.

He is survived by his wife, two children, a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. Naik's last rites are slated to be conducted at 3 pm on Wednesday.