D V Sadananda Gowda Biography

D V Sadananda Gowda was sworn in as the 26th Chief Minister of Karnataka on 4th August 2011 following the resignation of the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa. He belongs to the Bharatiya Janta Party and has served as the Karnataka state BJP President.

He was elected to the 15th Lok Sabha from the Udipi Chikmagalur constituency.

Background

Born on 18th march 1953 at Mandekolu, Dakshin Kannada district of Karnataka to Shri Devaragunda Venkappa Gowda and Smt kamala, DVS Gowda was educated at St Phelomena College, Puttur, where he graduated in science, and Vaikunta Baliga Law College, Udupi , where he did his LLB.

He practiced law in 1976 at Sullia and Puttur and served as a Public Prosecutor at Shirsi. He was also at the forefront of the labour movement as the General Secretary of the Bhartiya Majdur Sangha of Puttur division and the President of Auto-rickshaw drivers Union of Sullia Taluk.

His interests include sports such as Badminton, Tennis and Kho-Kho apart from folk arts of Dakshin Kannada, and Yakshagana. He is married to Smt Datty and they have one son.

Political Career

He started his political career as a member of the Jan Sangh and later joined the BJP as a youth leader. He was the BJP Yuva Morcha Secretary for five years from 1983 to 1988. He then became the State BJP Secretary in 2004 and the National Secretary of the party in 2004.

In 1994 he was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Puttur in Dakshin Kannada. In 1999 he was reelected from the same constituency and was made the Deputy leader of Opposition in the state Assembly. In 2003 he was nominated as the President of the Public Accounts Committee in the state Assembly.

In 2004, he defeated Verappa Moily of the Congress to win the Mangalore constituency seat in the 14th Lok Sabha elections. He then served in the Lok Sabha Committee on Science & technology and Environment & forests. In 2005 he was appointed as the Director of Coffee Board by the Government of India.

In 2006 he was appointed the president of the Karnataka state BJP. He justified his appointment as Party president when BJP won the Assembly elections for the first time in south India in May 2008.In 2009 he was elected to the 15th Lok Sabha from Udipi Chikmagalur constituency.

In August 2011 the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa was forced to quit over corruption charges for mining deals. DVS Gowda was chosen as the Chief Minister by the BJP party and was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Council in December 2011.