Ramachandra Gowda (

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

:ರಾಮಚಂದ್ರ ಗೌಡ) is a senior leader of the

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...

(BJP) in

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, India., Gowda took to social-political activities during his school days having been inspired by the

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family ...

. He participated in the Goa Liberation Movement when in high school. Later, he became an active member of the erstwhile

Bharatiya Jana Sangh The Bharatiya Jana Sangh ( BJS or JS, short name: Jan Sangh, full name: Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh; ) ( ISO 15919: '' Akhila Bhāratīya Jana Saṅgha '' ) was an Indian right wing political party that existed from 1951 to 1977 and was the po ...

. He entered the

Bangalore City Corporation The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is the administrative body responsible for civic amenities and some infrastructural assets of the Greater Bengaluru metropolitan area. It is the fourth largest Municipal Corporation in India an ...

as a Jana Sangh member in 1970. He was elected to the City Improvement Trust Board in the same year. He was also the BJP State unit general secretary for a long period. He was first elected to the

Karnataka Legislative Council The Karnataka Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of Karnataka state in South Western India. Karnataka is one of the six states in India, where the state legislature is bicameral, comprising two houses: the Le ...

from the Bangalore Graduates Constituency in 1988 and has been re-elected 3 more times in 1994, 2000 and 2006. He held the portfolios of Small Savings, Mining & Geology and Science & Technology in the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) coalition headed by H.D.Kumaraswamy. It was during his tenure as minister that the state imposed a ban on lottery. In the BJP Government headed by B.S. Yeddyurappa, he held the portfolio of Medical Education. He resigned in September 2010 after his name figured in a Medical Colleges recruitment scam. for which high court gave a clean chit clearing all allegations. Subsequently, he has been appointed as the Deputy chairman of the State Planning Board.

Personal life

Born on 13 December 1938 at Tippoor in Kunigal taluk of

Tumkur district Tumakuru District is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. It is the third largest district in Karnataka by land area with an area of 10,598 km2, and fourth largest by Population. It is a one-and-a-half-hour drive from ...

, he holds an engineering degree. He has one son and one daughter.

References

Ramachandra gowda's personal website
Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Karnataka Politicians from Bangalore People from Tumkur district 1938 births Members of the Karnataka Legislative Council State cabinet ministers of Karnataka Living people Goa liberation activists Bharatiya Jana Sangh politicians {{Karnataka-BJP-politician-stub