Gangtok, Mar 28 (PTI) Former chief minister of Sikkim BB Gooroong died on Monday due to old age-related ailments, his family said.

He was 92 and survived by two sons and a daughter.

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Gooroong, the third chief minister of the Himalayan state, breathed his last around 6 am at his residence at Lumsui in Gangtok, his family said.

The government announced a seven-day state mourning till April 3 in his honour.

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Born on October 11, 1929 at Chakung in present-day West Sikkim, Gooroong did his schooling at St Roberts School in Darjeeling. He graduated from the University of Calcutta.

He worked for a few days as a teacher, and later became a staff reporter of the now-defunct English daily Amrita Bazar Patrika. He also edited Kanchenjunga, the first news-based Nepali journal of Sikkim.

He started his political career as a member of the Sikkim State Congress in 1947 when it was formed, and was appointed its general secretary in 1958. In 1967, he was elected the Executive Councillor in the erstwhile Kingdom of Sikkim.

Gooroong was elected to the first state assembly in 1977 as a Sikkim National Congress candidate after Sikkim merged with India in 1975. He was also appointed the speaker of the first assembly and served till 1979.

In May 1984, Gurung was sworn in as the third chief minister of the state amid political instability. He was the chief minister of the state for two weeks, from May 11 to May 24 -- the shortest in the history of Sikkim.

After his government fell due to the continuing instability, President's Rule was imposed in the state.

Gooroong also served as a Political and Press Advisor to the former SDF government. In 2014, he resigned and extended his support to the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM).

Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said Gooroong was a guardian who guided his party SKM through his valuable suggestions.

"I will forever remain indebted to him, and my profound regards and reverences are always there for him," the chief minister said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)