Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is no more, President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted on Sunday evening.
Sixty-three-year-old Parrikar, who was battling a pancreatic ailment since last year, breathed his last at his residence.
Kovind wrote Twitter, "Extremely sorry to hear of the passing of Shri Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa, after an illness borne with fortitude and dignity. An epitome of integrity and dedication in public life, his service to the people of Goa and of India will not be forgotten".
A four-time Chief Minister of Goa, Parrikar had been in and out of the hospitals since February last year. It was in October that the state government made a formal announcement about the BJP leader suffering from a pancreatic ailment. He had undergone treatment in the United States as well as Delhi.
Parrikar took charge as the Chief Minister on March 14, 2017, and held the office till his end. He had previously served as the Chief Minister of the state from 2000 to 2002, 2002 to 2005 and from 2012 to 2014.
An engineer from IIT-Bombay, Parrikar led BJP in 2012 to victory and became the Chief Minister. He was made the Defence Minister in 2014 and was succeeded by Laxmikant Parsekar as the Chief Minister of Goa.
Considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Parrikar served as the Defence Ministerfrom May 2014 to March 2017.
Born in Mapusa in the coastal state of Goa, Parrikar studied at Loyola High School, Margao. In 1978 he graduated in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.
Parrikar was also one of those leaders who rose in ranks from RSS to BJP. Parrikar had joined RSS even during final years of his school days and later became the Sanghchalak at the age of 26.
Often referred to as the 'Chief Minister of the Common' by many, Parrikar was known for his simple style of living and for being easily approachable by the citizens of Goa.
Parrikar is survived by his two sons- Utpal, an Electrical Engineering graduate from Michigan State University, and Abhijat, a local businessman. His wife Medha passed away in 2000.
