Bangalore, 10 December
Former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna passed away at his residence on Tuesday morning. A family source said the 92-year-old politician was ill for a long time and breathed his last at 2:45 am at his residence. His dead body is likely to be taken to Madhoor today.
Somanahalli Mallya Krishna is survived by his wife Prema and two daughters Shambhavi and Malvika. Born on May 1, 1932 in Somanahalli, Mandya district of Karnataka, Krishna started his career in 1962 by winning election as an independent candidate from the Matthur Assembly seat. He was then associated with the Praja Socialist Party before joining the Congress. Krishna was the 16th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 11 October 1999 to 28 May 2004 (from the Congress).
Krishna had announced his retirement from active politics in January last year, citing his age. He also served as the Governor of Maharashtra and was the External Affairs Minister during the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 2009 to 2012.
Krishna served as the Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from December 1989 to January 1993. He was also a member of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha several times between 1971 and 2014. He is credited by many with putting Bangalore on the global map as the confidence he gave to the IT sector during his tenure. News-Patiala