Visionary Leader And Veteran Politician S M Krishna Passes Away at 92, Karnataka Govt Declares Holiday on December 11

The former Chief Minister of Karnataka, S. M. Krishna, passed away on Tuesday morning at his residence in Bengaluru. He was 92.

The politician was known as a visionary and a man of honour by those who knew him closely. He was well known for transforming Bengaluru into India's Silicon Valley.

Born in Somanahalli in Karnataka's Mandya district on May 1, 1932, he served as the Speaker of the Karnataka Vidhan Sabha from December 1989 to January 1993, the 10th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004, and the 19th Governor of Maharashtra from 2004 to 2008.

As a veteran politician, he worked in three political parties. He worked with the Praja Socialist Party during the initial years of his political career, followed by the Congress Party and then the Bharatiya Janata Party.

PM Narendra Modi took to X and posted these lines about the visionary leader: “SM Krishna was a remarkable leader, admired by people from all walks of life.”

“He (SM Krishna) always worked tirelessly to improve the lives of others. He is fondly remembered for his tenure as Karnataka’s Chief Minister, particularly for his focus on infrastructural development. SM Krishna Ji was also a prolific reader and thinker,” wrote Modi.

“S.M. Krishna was a visionary gentleman-politician who encouraged IT, new Bangalore airport and several other foundational ideas to advance Karnataka,” said Infosys founder Narayana Murthy.

The Karnataka government has declared a three-day state mourning for the politician’s death. It has also declared holiday for government offices, schools and colleges across the State on Wednesday (December 11, 2024) in honour of S.M. Krishna. He will be cremated tomorrow at his village in Mandya district with full state honours.