Meghalaya legislative assembly speaker Donkupar Roy dies at 65

GUWAHATI: Meghalaya legislative assembly speaker Donkupar Roy passed away in a private hospital in New Delhi on Sunday afternoon. He was 65 years old.
Roy was admitted in the hospital for past ten days following some stomach ailments and died there at around 3.15pm this afternoon.
Roy, who was chief minister of Meghalaya for a short period between 2008 and 2009, was at the time of death president of Meghalaya’s regional party, United Democratic Party, which is a member of the ruling alliance in the state. He was representing Shella constituency at the time of his death.
A doctorate in economics from the North Eastern Hill University, Roy first won the Shella constituency in 1987 as an Indpendent.
After a fractured mandate in 2008 assembly elections, Roy headed the alliance between UDP and other parties called Meghalaya Progressive Alliance after the Congress government headed by DD Lapang reduced to a minority. Exactly one year later Roy’s government was dismissed.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma tweeted, “Deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Speaker of Meghalaya Assembly Dr Donkupar Roy. We have lost a leader, a mentor, who had dedicated his life for the service of the people. May Almighty provide strength to his family in this hour of grief. May his soul RIP.”