H. D. Deve Gowda

Deve Gowda was born on 18 May 1933 in Haradanahalli village, Holenarasipura taluk, Hassan district, Karnataka, to Dodde Gowda and Devamma. He came from an agricultural family and held a diploma in civil engineering. Before entering politics he worked as a contractor on minor works. He married Chennamma, and the couple have four sons and two daughters.

Deve Gowda joined the Congress in 1953 and remained a member until 1962. He served as president of the Anjaneya Co-operative Society and as a member of the Taluk Development Board at Holenarasipura. He was first elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1962 as an independent and won the Holenarasipura seat in the next three Assemblies as well. He was Leader of the Opposition from March 1972 to March 1976 and from November 1976 to December 1977, and was imprisoned during the Emergency of 1975–77. In the Seventh and Eighth Assemblies he was Minister of Public Works and Irrigation, and he resigned from the Cabinet in 1987 over what he described as insufficient funds for irrigation. In 1989 he lost both the seats he contested.

Deve Gowda was elected to the Lok Sabha from Hassan in 1991. He became president of the state Janata Dal in 1994, and after the party’s win in the state elections he was elected leader of its legislature party and assumed office as the 14th Chief Minister of Karnataka on 11 December 1994. He then won the Ramanagar Assembly seat. He resigned as Chief Minister on 30 May 1996.

After the 1996 general election Deve Gowda became leader of a coalition of regional and non-Congress, non-BJP parties and was sworn in as Prime Minister on 1 June 1996, with Congress support from outside the government. Congress president Sitaram Kesri withdrew that support on 30 March 1997. Deve Gowda lost a confidence vote in the Lok Sabha on 11 April 1997, by 292 votes to 158, resigned, and was asked by President Shankar Dayal Sharma to continue as caretaker until a new arrangement was made. I. K. Gujral succeeded him on 21 April 1997.

Deve Gowda represented Hassan in the Lok Sabha for three consecutive terms from 2004 to 2019. In 2019 he moved to Tumkur to contest, and lost to the BJP candidate. He was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka on 12 June 2020, with Congress support, and took the oath on 20 September 2020. He is the leader of the Janata Dal (Secular).