Francisco Casimiro Jerónimo Agnelo Pinto de Souza (4 October 1954[1] – 14 February 2019), better known as Francis D'Souza, was an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party who served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Goa. He had first unsuccessfully contested in the 1989 Goa Legislative Assembly election from the Mapusa Assembly constituency as an Independent candidate.
Francis D'Souza | |
|---|---|
 D'Souza at IFFI 2016 | |
| Deputy Chief Minister of Goa | |
| In office 9 March 2012 – 14 March 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Wilfred de Souza |
| Succeeded by | Sudin Dhavalikar Vijai Sardesai |
| Constituency | Mapusa |
| Member of Goa Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1999–2019 | |
| Preceded by | Surendra Sirsat |
| Succeeded by | Joshua D'Souza |
| Constituency | Mapusa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Francisco Casimiro Jerónimo Agnelo Pinto de Souza 4 October 1954 Mapusa, Goa, Portuguese India, Portuguese Empire (now in India) |
| Died | 14 February 2019 (aged 64) Panaji, Goa, India |
| Resting place | St Jerome’s Church cemetery, Mapusa, Goa, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party (2002–2019) |
| Other political affiliations | Goa Rajiv Congress Party (1999–2002) |
| Children | Joshua D'Souza |
| Occupation | |
Political career
editD'Souza was first elected to the Goa Legislative Assembly in 1999 as the Goa Rajiv Congress Party's candidate and later in 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017 as the BJP candidate from the Mapusa constituency.[2] He was appointed Deputy Chief Minister when BJP formed a government in 2012 under Manohar Parrikar's leadership and remained Deputy Chief Minister when Laxmikant Parsekar became the Chief Minister. He was also front-runner to succeed Manohar Parrikar as the chief minister.[3][4]
Controversy
editIn July 2014, he landed into a controversy after publicly declaring that India is a Hindu nation and he was a Christian-Hindu.[5]
Death
editD'Souza died on 14 February 2019 at the age of 64 following a battle with cancer.[6]
Positions held
edit- 1985 - Elected as the Councillor of Mapusa Municipal Council.
- 1986-1988 - President of Mapusa Municipal Council.
- 1995 - Elected as the Councillor of Mapusa Municipal Council.
- 1998-2000 Chairman of Mapusa Municipal Council.
- 1999 - Cabinet Minister of Law, Election and Urban Development
- 2000-2002 - Cabinet Minister of Judiciary and Labour & Employment till
- 2002-2005 - Cabinet Minister of Information Technology, Law & Judiciary, Legislative Affairs and Craftsmen Training.
- 2012-2014 - Cabinet Minister of Urban Development, Revenue and Craftsmen Training
- 2014-2019 - Deputy Chief Minister, Cabinet Minister of Health, Revenue, Town and Country Planning, Urban Development and Law, Legislative Affairs
- 2017-2019 - Cabinet Minister of Urban Development, Law and Judiciary, Legislative Affairs and Provedoria.
References
edit- ^ "Goa Legislative Assembly". www.goavidhansabha.gov.in. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ "Shri. Francis Dsouza Previous Election Details | Goa Legislative Assembly". Archived from the original on 19 September 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
- ^ Goa Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza threatens to quit if not made CM
- ^ Nair, Shalini (9 November 2014). "Laxmikant Parsekar sworn in as new Goa CM, Francis D'Souza falls in line". The Indian Express. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
- ^ "India is already a Hindu nation: Goa Deputy CM Francis D'Souza". news.biharprabha.com. IANS. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
- ^ "Former Goa Dy CM Francis D'Souza dies at 64". The Indian Express. 15 February 2019.