Ex-deputy CM Francis passes away

NT NETWORK

PANAJI

Former deputy chief minister and Mapusa MLA Francis D’Souza passed away on Thursday after a prolonged illness at a private hospital in Old Goa where he had been admitted in a critical condition nearly a month ago.

He was 64 and is survived by his wife and a son and a daughter.

D’Souza will be given state funeral. The funeral service will be held on Saturday at 4 pm at  St Jerome’s Church, Mapusa. The hearse  will leave his residence at 3.30 pm.

The body of D’Souza was brought to his Mapusa residence late Thursday evening.

The government has announced three-day state mourning. All state government offices, local/ autonomous bodies, public sector undertakings, and all educational institutions including the aided institutions shall remain closed on February 15 as a mark of respect to him.

A senior state leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Christian face of the party, D’Souza was suffering from colon cancer, and had been treated at a New York-based health facility, last year.

With the passing away of D’Souza, the strength of the BJP in the 40-member state legislative assembly has now dropped to 13.

D’Souza was born  on  October 4, 1954 in Mapusa.

He completed B.Sc in  1975 from St Xavier’s College in Mapusa and later studied law at Mahadevrao Salgaokar College of Law, Panaji.

D’Souza, who practised law for 19 years before joining politics, was elected as  a councillor of the Mapusa municipal council in 1985.

Later, he became  the MMC chairperson.

In 2003, he was appointed as the chairman of the North Goa Planning and Development Authority.

D’Souza  represented the Mapusa constituency successively for five time.

The senior BJP  leader was first elected as a  legislator in 1999 on Goa Rajiv Congress Party ticket.

However, later he joined the BJP and was successively elected to the state legislative assembly in 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017.

He became deputy chief minister when the BJP formed government in 2012 under Manohar Parrikar’s leadership and the held the position when Laxmikant Parsekar assumed the post of chief minister in 2014.

He also handled portfolios such as urban development, health, town and country planning and law and judiciary.

D’Souza  was also the chairman of various legislative committees and a member of the public accounts committee.

D’Souza was a contender for the chief minister’s post in 2014 when Parrikar was elevated as the defence minister.

The legislator, however, had lost the chance to Parsekar.

Francis was known for his simplicity, honesty and exceptional accessibility, despite being a cabinet minister.