HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sarekoppa Bangarappa (26 October 1933 – 26 December 2011) was an Indian politician who was the 12th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1990 to 1992. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Karnataka between 1967 and 1996, before contesting a series of six elections for the
Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
from 1996 to 2009, of which he lost two. He founded both the Karnataka Vikas Party and the
Karnataka Congress Party 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 ...
during a 44-year career in which his supporters called him ''Solillada Saradara'' (a leader who cannot be defeated). As well as these two parties, Bangarappa was at various times a member of the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
, 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 Modi ...
, the
Samajwadi Party The Samajwadi Party ( SP; translation: ''Socialist Party'', founded 4 October 1992) is a Socialism, socialist political party in India, headquartered in New Delhi but mainly based in Uttar Pradesh, with significant presence in other states as w ...
and
Janata Dal (Secular) The Janata Dal (Secular) is an Indian political party led by former prime minister of India, H. D. Deve Gowda. The party is recognized as a State Party in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh. It was formed in July 1999 by the ...
, and his critics described him as a party-hopper because of this.


Early life

Bangarappa was born on 26 October 1933 in Kubatur village, Soraba Taluk,
Shimoga district Shimoga district, officially known as Shivamogga district, is a district in the Karnataka state of India. A major part of Shimoga district lies in the Malnad region or the Sahyadri. Shimoga city is its administrative centre. Jog Falls view po ...
, Karnataka. He married Shakuntala in 1958 and the couple had five children, including the actor
Kumar Bangarappa Sarekoppa Vasanth Kumar (Kumar Bangarappa) (born 28 September 1963) is an Indian actor and politician from Karnataka. Career Kumar Bangarappa is an Indian actor in Kannada films, known as the Action Hero of the late 80s and 90s. He is known fo ...
and film maker Madhu Bangarappa, both of whom have also been politicians. He came from the Deevaru-Idiga community. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree, a similar degree in Law and a Diploma in Social Science.


Political career

Bangarappa began his career in politics as a
socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
. He was elected to the
Karnataka Legislative Assembly The Karnataka Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Karnataka. Karnataka is one of the six states in India where the state legislature is bicameral, comprising two houses. The two houses ar ...
in 1967 from the
Soraba Soraba is a Tehsil, Taluk in Shimoga district, Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka in India. Anavatti is the Major Town and commercial centre in Soraba Taluk. Soraba is located at . It has an average elevation of 580 metres (1902 ...
constituency of Shimoga district. He became known as a champion of the
backward class The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with General castes, S ...
es, of which his Deevaru origins made him a member. Subsequently, he joined the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
(INC) and became a minister in the government of
Devaraj Urs Devaraj Devaraj Urs (20 August 1915 – 6 June 1982) was an Indian politician who served two terms as the eighth Chief Minister of Karnataka (1972–77, 1978–80), a state in southern India. He is also the longest serving Chief Minister of ...
, with his first appointment being as Minister of State in the Home department in 1977. This post was followed by that of Cabinet Minister for the Public Works Department in 1978 and then Revenue and Agriculture Minister between 1980 and 1981. In 1979, he served for a year as President of the Karnataka
Pradesh Congress Committee The elected committee that directs the Indian National Congress in an Indian state is known as Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC). It is elected by card-holding members of the Congress and in turn elects state president and delegates to the All I ...
. In 1983, he left the INC and became involved with the
Karnataka Kranti Ranga Karnataka Kranti Ranga (Karnataka Revolutionary Front), also known as the Kannada Kranti Ranga was a regional political party in Karnataka, India. KKR was formed by Devaraj Urs in 1979, as a split from the Indian National Congress. It subsequent ...
(Karnataka Revolutionary Front, also known as the Kannada Kranti Ranga) that had been established a few years earlier by the now-deceased Urs. A brief alliance between the KKR and the
Janata Party The Janata Party ( JP, lit. ''People's Party'') was a political party that was founded as an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the Emergency that was imposed between 1975 and 1977 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Indian Nati ...
(JP) resulted in the 1983 election of the first non-INC government in the state. Although there had been speculation that he would be appointed Chief Minister in that government, this post went instead to
Ramakrishna Hegde Ramakrishna Mahabaleshwar Hegde (29 August 1926 – 12 January 2004) was an Indian politician who served as the tenth Chief Minister of Karnataka for three terms between 1983 and 1988. He was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1 ...
of the JP. Bangarappa gradually realigned himself with the INC after spending some time supporting the government of Hegde. Bangarappa was appointed as the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1985 and held that post until 1987. Following the Congress victory in 1989, he became Agriculture Minister in the
Veerendra Patil Veerendra Basappa Patil (Kannada: ವೀರೇಂದ್ರ ಪಾಟೀಲ್; 28 February 1924 – 14 March 1997) was a senior Indian politician and was twice, the List of Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Chief Minister of Karnataka. He becam ...
cabinet. He was appointed as Chief Minister of the state in 1990 after Patil was removed on the orders of
Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi (; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to beco ...
, allegedly on health grounds. Subsequently, in 1992, Bangarappa was replaced as Chief Minister by
Veerappa Moily Marpadi Veerappa Moily (born 12 January 1940) is an Indian politician belonging to the Indian National Congress from the state of Karnataka. Moily was the former Chief Minister (and the first ethnic Tuluva CM) of the Indian state of Karnataka ...
. During his tenure, he promoted three popular programmes: ''Aradhana'' (to revive and rebuild 36,000 religious shrines), ''Ashraya'' (to build houses for the poor) and ''Vishwa'' (financial aid for rural artisans and cottage industries). His term had been marred by several allegations of his involvement in scandals, such as that involving Classik Computers, although he was cleared of any impropriety in that case. His removal followed his government's failure in handling the Cauvery riots. Bangarappa left the INC after his removal and formed the
Karnataka Congress Party 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 ...
(KCP). His election successes after leaving the chief ministership demonstrated the extent of his personal support with the electorate, which seemed not to be reliant upon the political party to which he belonged, although his popularity declined over time. He came to be seen as a "turncoat politician" who lacked ideology and principle and who moved from one party to another according to whichever he considered to be the most likely to gain power at the time. Having won the
Soraba Soraba is a Tehsil, Taluk in Shimoga district, Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka in India. Anavatti is the Major Town and commercial centre in Soraba Taluk. Soraba is located at . It has an average elevation of 580 metres (1902 ...
assembly seat on seven occasions, Bangarappa left it and the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1996. In the same year, he contested the
Shimoga Shimoga, officially known as Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of ...
constituency, a mostly agricultural area in which the
Idiga Edigas or Idigas is a Hindu toddy tapper community in Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The traditional occupation of Idiga people was that of toddy tapping. They are mostly concentrated in the Malenadu and Shivamogga districts. Simil ...
caste dominated, and was elected a member of the Lok Sabha as a KCP candidate. He then, went on to form the Karnataka Vikas Party (KVP) and lost in 1998 as a representative of the KVP. However, he was re-elected in 1999 as an INC candidate. In 2004, he joined 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 Modi ...
(BJP) and was re-elected to the
Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
as a BJP candidate with a large majority. In 2005 he resigned from the BJP and joined the Samajwadi Party, sparking a by-election to the Lok Sabha that he won. In 2008, he contested against the BJP Chief Ministerial candidate,
Yeddyurappa Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yediyurappa (born 27 February 1943), often referred to by his initials BSY, is an Indian politician currently serving as the member of the Bharatiya Janata Party National Executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Parl ...
, in the
Shikaripura Shikaripur or Shikaripura is a major town in Shimoga district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Shikaripur taluk and is known as the land of shivasharanas. Geography Shikaripur is located at . It has an average elevatio ...
assembly seat and lost heavily. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, he lost to Yeddyurappa's son,
B. Y. Raghavendra Bookanakere Yeddyurappa Raghavendra (born 16 August 1973) is an Indian politician and a member of the 16th Lok Sabha representing Shimoga district of Karnataka and was a member of Lok Sabha, 14th Karnataka Legislative Assembly. He previously re ...
, of the BJP. In that last election, Bangarappa had represented the INC. Later, in December 2010 and with his political career in decline, Bangarappa joined the Janata Dal (Secular).


Death

Bangarappa suffered from
diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
and died on 26 December 2011 in a
Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
hospital due to multiple causes. His funeral was attended by a large number of supporters and was held with state honours at his native village. Police had to intervene during the funeral ceremonies due to disputes between factions, much of which appeared to revolve around family differences involving Kumar and Madhu Bangarappa. Comments made by Bangarappa at the time of the 2004 assembly elections caused problems for his son, Kumar, who was at that time a minister in the INC government of
S. M. Krishna Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna (born 1 May 1932) is an Indian politician who served as Minister of External Affairs of India from 2009 to October 2012. He was the 16th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004 and the 19th Governor of Mahara ...
. Kumar represented his father's old constituency,
Soraba Soraba is a Tehsil, Taluk in Shimoga district, Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka in India. Anavatti is the Major Town and commercial centre in Soraba Taluk. Soraba is located at . It has an average elevation of 580 metres (1902 ...
, and differences of opinion between the two men had already surfaced, which Bangarappa appeared to delight in publicising but Kumar attempted to play down. Kumar reacted to his father's decision to join the BJP in order to contest the Lok Sabha elections by himself resigning from the INC and his ministerial role. Kumar then discovered that his politically inexperienced younger brother,
Madhu Bangarappa Madhu Bangarappa is an Indian politician, producer and actor from Karnataka. Karnataka state Congress declared him as OBC president of state. Personal life Madhu Bangarappa was born to former Chief Minister of Karnataka late S. Bangarappa an ...
, had been selected by the BJP to fight the constituency, apparently at the instigation of his father. Kumar returned to the INC and agreed to stand for election against his brother, determined to make a point to his father and to support Krishna's desire to see Bangarappa humiliated on what was his "home turf". Bangarappa campaigned for Madhu and attempted to mobilise his own support to that end. However, although Bangarappa himself won handsomely from the Shimoga Lok Sabha seat, he was unable to secure the victory of Madhu in
Soraba Soraba is a Tehsil, Taluk in Shimoga district, Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka in India. Anavatti is the Major Town and commercial centre in Soraba Taluk. Soraba is located at . It has an average elevation of 580 metres (1902 ...
.


Positions held

* 1967-96: Member, Karnataka Legislative Assembly (7 terms, from
Soraba Soraba is a Tehsil, Taluk in Shimoga district, Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka in India. Anavatti is the Major Town and commercial centre in Soraba Taluk. Soraba is located at . It has an average elevation of 580 metres (1902 ...
) * 1977-78: Minister of State, Home, Government of Karnataka * 1978-79: Cabinet Minister, P.W.D., Government of Karnataka * 1979-80: President, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee .P.C.C. (I)* 1980-81: Minister, Revenue and Agriculture, Government of Karnataka * 1985-87: Leader of Opposition, Karnataka Legislative Assembly * 1989-90: Minister, Agriculture and Horticulture, Government of Karnataka * 1990-92: Chief Minister, Karnataka * 1996: Elected to 11th Lok Sabha as a KCP candidate * 1998: President, Karnataka Vikas Paksha; but came third in Lok Sabha election in Shimoga seat. * 1999: Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (2nd term) as an INC candidate * 2004: Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha (3rd term) as a BJP candidate * 2005: Re-elected to Lok Sabha in a by-election from Samajwadi party . * 2008: Lost in State Assembly elections (to Yediyurappa in
Shikaripura Shikaripur or Shikaripura is a major town in Shimoga district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Shikaripur taluk and is known as the land of shivasharanas. Geography Shikaripur is located at . It has an average elevatio ...
) * 2009: Lost in 2009 General Elections of Lok Sabha,
Shimoga Shimoga, officially known as Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of ...
seat * December 2010: Joined the JD (S)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bangarappa, Sarekoppa India MPs 1996–1997 India MPs 1999–2004 India MPs 2004–2009 1933 births 2011 deaths Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Karnataka Chief Ministers of Karnataka Indian National Congress politicians from Karnataka Janata Dal (Secular) politicians People from Shimoga district Samajwadi Party politicians Lok Sabha members from Karnataka Leaders of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Indian National Congress politicians