Karnataka Chief Minister

The Karnataka chief minister plays a key role in the governance of the state as he is at the helm of both the executive and the legislative wings of the state's administration. Sri H.R. Kumaraswamy is the present chief minister in Karnataka, being sworn in to the office on 3rd February, 2006, as a member of the Janata Dal in the newly formed JD- BJP coalition. He replaced veteran congressman Dharam Singh of the preceding Congress-JD coalition. As the chief minister of Karnataka, Sri Kumaraswamy leads a council of as many as 34 ministers and personally looks after a host of prestigious portfolios.

Political Profile of the Chief Minister of Karnataka

HD Kumaraswamy, the present Karnataka chief minister, entered politics as a member of the Janata Dal in 1990. His career as a parliamentarian got going with a win in the 1996 Assembly elections as a candidate for the Janata Dal (secular), from the Kanakapura seat. Kumaraswamy's importance within the folds of the Janata Dal (secular) increased manifold as he toured the state, trying to unite the various factions within party units and giving it a more youth oriented profile. His commitment to the cause of the social upliftment of the poor and the backward classes culminated in the much publicized Daridra Narayana rally in 2004 and 2005. The political career of HD Kumaraswamy reached a zenith after his selection in the post of the chief minister at Karnataka, with JD(S) newly forming an alliance with the BJP.

Personal Profile of HD Kumaraswamy

HD Kumaraswamy was born on 16th December 1959 at Haradana Halli in the Hassan district of Karnataka. The only son of former Prime Minister Sri HD Deve Gowda and Smt. Channamma, Sri Kumaraswamy had politics in his blood. A science graduate, he went on to join the business of film distribution and became a major distributor of Kannad films. It was not long before he took a plunge into film production and became the proud producer of many a hit Kannad movie.