SM Krishna, former CM of Karnataka and Governor of Maharashtra, dies at 92

File photo of former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna died at his residence early on Tuesday morning (December 10, 2024), his family said.

The 92-year-old veteran politician had been unwell for some time, a family source said.

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“SM Krishna is no more. He breathed his last at 2:45 am at his residence. The mortal remains are likely to be brought to Maddur today,” the source said.

Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna is survived by his wife Prema and two daughters Shambhavi and Malavika.

The Karnataka government has declared three days of national mourning. The cremation will take place on December 11 at his village in his home district of Mandya with state honors.

Early years

Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna was born on May 1, 1932 at Somanahalli in Mandya district of Karnataka and started his career in electoral politics in 1962 by winning the Maddur parliamentary seat as an independent.

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He was then associated with the Praja Socialist Party before joining the Congress.

He later joined the BJP in March 2017, ending his nearly 50-year association with the Congress.

He announced his resignation from the Congress in January 2017, saying the party was “unclear” whether it needed mass leaders or not.

Mr. Krishna announced in January 2023 that he was retiring from active politics, citing his age as the reason.

He was the 16th Chief Minister of Karnataka from October 11, 1999 to May 28, 2004 (from Congress).

Served as Foreign Minister in the UPA government

He also served as Governor of Maharashtra and was Foreign Minister from 2009 to 2012 during the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

A law graduate, Mr. Krishna studied in the United States, graduating from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and George Washington University Law School in Washington DC, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.

Mr. Krishna was 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.

Mr. Krishna was a member of the Karnataka Assembly and Council and also served as Deputy Chief Minister (1993-94).

He was president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee before the 1999 general elections, in which the party won and he became chief minister.

Mr. Krishna is praised by many for putting Bengaluru on the world map during his tenure as a catalyst for the IT sector, resulting in the city becoming the “Silicon Valley of India”.