S. M. Krishna | |
|---|---|
 Krishna in 2011 | |
| 27thMinister of External Affairs | |
| In office 23 May 2009 – 28 October 2012 | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Succeeded by | Salman Khurshid |
| 18thGovernor of Maharashtra | |
| In office 12 December 2004 – 5 March 2008 | |
| Chief Minister | Vilasrao Deshmukh |
| Preceded by | Mohammed Fazal |
| Succeeded by | S. C. Jamir |
| 10thChief Minister of Karnataka | |
| In office 11 October 1999 – 28 May 2004 | |
| Preceded by | J. H. Patel |
| Succeeded by | N. Dharam Singh |
| 1stDeputy Chief Minister of Karnataka | |
| In office 21 January 1993 – 11 December 1994 | |
| Chief Minister | M. Veerappa Moily |
| Preceded by | Office Established |
| Succeeded by | J. H. Patel |
| Constituency | Maddur |
| 7thSpeaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 18 December 1989 – 20 January 1993 | |
| Preceded by | B. G. Banakar,JP |
| Succeeded by | V. S. Koujalagi,INC |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1932-05-01)1 May 1932 |
| Died | 10 December 2024(2024-12-10) (aged 92) Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party (March 2017–2023) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | V. G. Siddhartha (son-in-law) |
| Alma mater | |
| Honours | Padma Vibhushan (2023) |
Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna (1 May 1932 – 10 December 2024) was an Indian politician who served asMinister of External Affairs of India from 2009 to October 2012.[1] He was the 10thChief Minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004 and the 19thGovernor of Maharashtra from 2004 to 2008. S. M. Krishna served as the Speaker of the Karnataka Vidhana Soudha from December 1989 to January 1993. He was also a Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha member from 1971 to 2014. He is widely credited with puttingBengaluru on the world map by building the foundation for it to become the IT Hub that it is today during his tenure as Chief Minister.[2] In 2023, Krishna was awarded thePadma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of India.[3]
S. M. Krishna was the son of S. C. Mallaiah, born on 1 May 1932[4] to aVokkaliga family in a village named Somanahalli in the Maddur Taluk ofMandya district, Karnataka. He finished his High School inSri Ramakrishna Vidyashala, Mysore.[5] He completed his Bachelor of Arts fromMaharaja's College, Mysore. He obtained a law degree fromUniversity Law College, which was then known as Government Law College inBangalore. Krishna studied in the United States, graduating with Masters of Laws degree fromSouthern Methodist University inDallas, Texas[6] andThe George Washington University Law School in Washington D.C, where he was aFulbright Scholar.[7]
Krishna was politically active as a student in the US. During the1960 United States presidential election, he campaigned forJohn F. Kennedy in areas dominated byIndian Americans. After being elected President, Kennedy wrote to Krishna, in 1961, conveying his "warm appreciation of your efforts during the campaign."[8] Upon returning to India, Krishna worked as a professor of international law at Renukacharya Law College, Bangalore.[9]
Krishna began his electoral political careerin 1962 when he was elected to theMysore Legislative Assembly fromMaddur.[10] Krishna ran as anindependent, defeating K. V. Shankar Gowda, the prominent politician from theIndian National Congress (INC) for whom Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru had campaigned.[11]
Krishna then joined thePraja Socialist Party (PSP) but lost to M. Manchegowda of the INC in the1967 election. However, he was elected to theLok Sabha in 1968 at the by-polls fromMandya, following the death of the sitting parliamentarian.[12]
In 1968, Krishna was influential in reconciling members of the Indian National Congress and the PSP. He served three terms as anmember of parliament from Mandya, starting from the 1968 by-poll as a PSP candidate.[13] His following terms were as a Congressman, winning elections in 1971 and 1980. Mandya remained a Congress stronghold, represented in Lok Sabha later by his political proteges such as Ambareesh andDivya Spandana (also known as Ramya). Krishna resigned from the Lok Sabha in 1972, and became a member of theKarnataka Legislative Council and was appointed a minister byDevaraj Urs.[14]
After he went back to Lok Sabha in 1980,[11] Krishna served as a minister underIndira Gandhi between 1983–84. He lost his run for the Mandya Lok Sabha seat in the1984 elections. He was reelected to the Karnataka legislative assembly in 1985. He served as Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly between 18 December 1989 and 20 January 1993.[15] He served as Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1993 to 1994.[16] Later, he became a member of theRajya Sabha between April 1996 and 1999.[17]
In 1999, asKarnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, he led his party to victory in the1999 assembly polls and took over asChief Minister of Karnataka, a post he held until being defeated in2004 Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections. He was also instrumental in creating power reforms with theESCOMS and digitization of land records (BHOOMI) and many other citizen-friendly initiatives. He encouraged private-public participation and was a sponsor of theBangalore Advance Task Force.[18]
Krishna was appointedGovernor of Maharashtra on 6 December 2004. Krishna resigned as Governor of Maharashtra on 5 March 2008.[19] It was reported that this was due to his intention to return to active politics in Karnataka.[20] PresidentPratibha Patil accepted his resignation on 6 March.[21]Krishna entered theRajya Sabha and subsequently took the oath of office as Union Cabinet Minister of External Affairs in the Council of Ministers under Prime MinisterManmohan Singh on 22 May 2009.[22] In his tenure as the external affairs minister, he visited a number of countries includingTajikistan in 2012 to strengthen economic and energy ties.[23] Krishna resigned as External Affairs Minister on 26 October 2012 indicating a return to Karnataka state politics.[1][24]
Krishna resigned as a member of INC on 29 January 2017, stating that the party was in a "state of confusion" on whether it needed mass leaders or not. He also complained of having been sidelined by the party and that the party was "dependent on managers and not time-tested people like himself".[25] After speculation concerning his joining theBharatiya Janata Party, he formally joined the party in March 2017.[26] He announced his retirement from politics in January 2023, citing age-related issues.[27]
| Duration | Position held | Refs. |
|---|---|---|
| 1962–67 | Elected to 3rdMysore Legislative Assembly fromMaddur. | [28] |
| 1968–1970 | Elected to4th Lok Sabha as Socialist MP from Mandya after a by-poll when sitting MP died in 1967 | [28] |
| 1971–1972 | Elected to5th Lok Sabha, Congress candidate fromMandya | [28] |
| 1972–1977 | Member ofKarnataka Legislative Council | [28] |
| 1972–77 | Minister for Commerce & Industries & Parliamentary Affairs,Government of Karnataka | [28] |
| 1980–1984 | Elected to7th Lok Sabha from Mandya | [28] |
| 29 January 1983 – 7 February 1984 | Union Minister of State for Industry | [29] |
| 7 February 1984 – 7 September 1984 | Union Minister of State for Finance | [29] |
| 7 September 1984 – 31 October 1984 and 4 November 1984 – 31 December 1984 | Union Minister of State for Commerce | [29] |
| 1989–1994 | Member, 9th Karnataka Legislative Assembly | [28] |
| 18 December 1989 – 20 January 1993 | Speaker, Karnataka Legislative Assembly | [15] |
| 1992 – 9 December 1994 | Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka | [28] |
| April 1996 – 1999 | Member ofRajya Sabha | [17] |
| 1999–2000 | President ofKarnataka Pradesh Congress Committee | [30] |
| October 1999 – 2004 | Chief Minister of Karnataka (MLA fromMaddur) | [31] |
| 2004 | Re-elected to Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Chamrajpet constituency | |
| 2004–2008 | Governor of Maharashtra | [19] |
| 2008–2014 | Member of Rajya Sabha from Karnataka | [32][33] |
| 22 May 2009 – 26 October 2012 | External Affairs Minister, Government of India | [22] |
Krishna was married to Prema. They had two daughters.[34] His daughter Malavika Krishna was married to the LateV. G. Siddhartha, a businessman and the founder ofCafe Coffee Day.[35] He had a younger brother, Shankar (died 2019), who was a member of theKarnataka Legislative Council.[36]
At the dusk of his political life, he released his biography,Smritivahini, in the presence of many dignitaries. He penned many interesting incidents, includingVeerappanKidnapping of Rajkumar during his tenure as the chief minister.[37] He also quoted that the former prime minister of India and national president ofJanata Dal (Secular)H. D. Devegowda had strong plans of joiningIndian National Congress twice during the period of National emergency.[38][39]
Krishna died from a long illness at his residence inBengaluru, on 10 December 2024, at the age of 92.[40][41][42] He was cremated with state honours complete with gun salute at his ancestral village of Somanahalli in Maddur taluk of Mandya district on 11 December.[43] The Karnataka Government announced a three day mourning period.[44]
Media related toS. M. Krishna at Wikimedia Commons| Lok Sabha | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forMandya 1968–1972 | Succeeded by K Chikklingaiah |
| Preceded by K Chikklingaiah | Member of Parliament forMandya 1980–1984 | Succeeded by K.V. Shankaragowda |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by none | Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka 1993–1994 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Karnataka 1999–2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Maharashtra 2004–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of External Affairs 2009–2012 | Succeeded by |
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