Senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy swept Karnataka’s Mandya Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday. His main competitor was Congress’ Venkataramane Gowda aka Star Chandru, who was defeated with a margin of 2,84,620 votes. Besides being a politician, Kumaraswamy is also a film producer and businessman.
Early life and background
Kumaraswamy was born on December 16, 1959, in Haradanahalli, Hassan district, Karnataka to H. D. Deve Gowda and Chennamma. He completed primary education in a government school in Hassan district and went on to finish his high school studies in Bangalore’s MES Educational Institution in Jayanagar and a Bachelor of Science degree from National College Basavanagudi, Bangalore.
Political Career
He entered the political realm by winning from Kanakapura in the 1996 general elections. Kumaraswamy served as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 2018 to 2019 and previously from 2006 to 2007. Between 2013 and 2014, he served as the opposition leader in Karnataka state assembly. In the 2023 Karnataka Assembly Elections, he won from Channapatna against BJP’s C. P. Yogeshwar by a margin of 20,000 votes.