H. D. Deve Gowda

Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda ಹರದನಹಳ್ಳಿ ದೊಡ್ಡೇಗೌಡ ದೇವೇಗೌಡ
Prime Minister of India
In office 1 June 1996 – 21 April 1997
President	Shankar Dayal Sharma
Preceded by	Atal Behari Vajpayee
Succeeded by	Inder Kumar Gujral
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 1 June 1996 – 29 June 1996
Preceded by	Murli Manohar Joshi
Succeeded by	Indrajit Gupta
Chief Minister of Karnataka
In office 11 December 1994 – 31 May 1996
Governor	Khurshed Alam Khan
Preceded by	Veerappa Moily
Succeeded by	Jayadevappa Halappa Patel
Personal details
Born	18 May 1933 (1933-05-18) (age 78) Haradanahalli, Mysore kingdom (now India)
Political party	Janata Dal (Secular)
Other political affiliations	Indian National Congress (Before 1962) Independent (1962–1977) Janata Party (1977–1988)
Spouse(s)	Chennamma Deve Gowda
Children	4 sons( Balakrishne Gowda H.D. Revanna H.D.Kumaraswamy Ramesh) 2 daughters
Religion	Hinduism
Website	hddevegowda.in

Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda(Kannada: ಹರದನಹಳ್ಳಿ ದೊಡ್ಡೇಗೌಡ ದೇವೇಗೌಡ) (born 18 May 1933)^[1] was the 11th Prime Minister of India (1996–1997) and the 14th chief minister of the state of Karnataka (1994–1996).

Born into a farming family,^[2] he won his first seat in the Karnataka state assembly in 1962, rising to become Karnataka's chief minister. In the late 1970s Deve Gowda rose in the Janata Party and was an important figure in reuniting its successor, the Janata Dal party, after the original group splintered in 1980. Deve Gowda was instrumental in attracting to the party divergent castes. When the Congress party was defeated in the 1996 general elections and Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao resigned, Deve Gowda became prime minister of the United Front (India) coalition government after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to form a government.

Biography

A Civil Engineering diploma holder, he joined the Indian National Congress Party in 1953 and remained a member till 1962.^[3] He was the President of Anjaneya Co-operative Society and later as a member of Taluk Development Board, Holenarasipura.

In 1962, Deve Gowda contested from Holenarasipur constituency as an independent candidate for Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections and became a MLA. Later he was elected from the same constituency for three more consecutive terms: the fourth (1967–71), the fifth (1972–77), and the sixth (1978–83) Assemblies. He was the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, from March 1972 to March 1976 and November 1976 to December 1977, won him laurels.^[3]

Later he resigned his membership of the sixth Assembly on 22 November 1982. As a member of the seventh and the eighth Assemblies, he served as the Minister of Public Works and Irrigation. He resigned from the Cabinet in 1987 in protest against insufficient allocation of funds for irrigation.

He became the President of Janata Party twice at state level and president of the state Janata Dal in 1994.^[3] He was elected the leader of the Janata Dal Legislative Party and on 11 December 1994 he assumed office as the 14th Chief Minister of Karnataka. He then contested as a candidate from Ramanagar constituency and won by a large majority.

In January 1995, Shri Gowda toured Switzerland and attended the Forum of International Economists. His tours to European and Middle Eastern countries were a testimony to his achievements as a dedicated politician. His tour to Singapore, which brought in the much needed foreign investment to the State, proved his business acumen.^[3]

His leadership of the Third Front (a group of regional parties and Non-Congress and Non-BJP combine) led to his Prime Minister's job.

Deve Gowda resigned as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on 30 May 1996 to become the 11th Prime Minister of India. As Prime Minister, he was nicknamed as Sleeping Gowda, due to his habit of napping in Lok Sabha and other official functions.^[4][5]

Janata Dal

Deve Gowda inaugurating a function.

He is the president of the Janata Dal – Secular JD(S) political party in India and currently a member of Parliament (MP) representing his home town Hassan district in Karnataka. The JD-S had formed a coalition with the Congress party government led by Dharam Singh.

Shri Deve Gowda became the President of Janta party twice at State level and President of State Janata Dal in 1994. He was the driving force behind the Janata Dal's rise to power in the State in 1994. He was elected as the leader of the Janata Dal Legislative Party and on December 11, 1994 he assumed office as the 14th Chief Minister of Karnataka. He then contested as a candidate from Ramanagar Assembly constituency and won by a thumping majority.

In 1989, his group of the Janata Party fared poorly in Karnataka winning just 2 of the 222 Assembly seats it contested; Shri Gowda himself tasting defeat for the first time in his career losing in both constituencies he contested.

His re-election in 1967 gave him more confidence and in 1969 when the Congress split, he joined the Congress (O) headed by Shri Nijalingappa, which was in power in Karnataka then. But Shri Gowda’s big chance came after the rout of Congress (O) in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections. He emerged the leader of a truncated opposition hit by the Indira Gandhi wave.

Personal life

Hardanhalli Dodegowda Deve Gowda was born in 1933 in Haradanahalli village of Holenarasipura taluk, Hassan District in Karnataka.He is the son of Shri Dodde Gowda and Smt. Devamma. He is married to Smt. Chennamma, and the couple have four sons and two daughters.^[3][6]

References

1. ^ "Profile on website of Prime Minister's Office". http://pmindia.nic.in/pm_gowda.htm. 
2. ^ "Asiaweek article". http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/96/0607/nat4.html. Retrieved 2007-09-30. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Prime Minister's Office
4. ^ "Sleeping Gowda' remains unruffled by critics.". http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-3303161.html. 
5. ^ "Gowda upset over seeing his sleeping photo". Times Of India. 27 Jul 2003. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Gowda-upset-over-seeing-his-sleeping-photo/articleshow/97258.cms. 
6. ^ Deve Gowda doesn’t mind his language | DeccanHerald.com

External links

• Home Page on the Parliament of India's Website
• The Honorable Ex Prime Minister Loses His Temper on Broadcast Television
• Prime Minister's Office
• Official Website

Political offices
Preceded by Veerappa Moily	Chief Minister of Karnataka 1994–1996	Succeeded by Jayadevappa Halappa Patel
Preceded by Atal Bihari Vajpayee	Prime Minister of India 1996–1997	Succeeded by Inder Kumar Gujral
	Chairperson of the Planning Commission 1996–1997
Preceded by Murli Manohar Joshi	Minister of Home Affairs 1996	Succeeded by Indrajit Gupta

Persondata
Name	Gowda, H. D. Deve
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	18 May 1933
Place of birth	Haradanahalli, Princely State of Mysore, British India
Date of death
Place of death