R. Gundu Rao
R. Gundu Rao | |
|---|---|
| 8th Chief Minister of Karnataka | |
| In office 12 January 1980 – 6 January 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Devaraj Urs |
| Succeeded by | Ramakrishna Hegde |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1989–1991 | |
| Preceded by | V. S. Krishna Iyer |
| Succeeded by | K. Venkatagiri Gowda |
| Constituency | Bangalore South |
| Leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 17 December 1979 – 12 January 1980 | |
| Preceded by | S. R. Bommai |
| Succeeded by | D. Devaraj Urs |
| Minister of Transport and Tourism, Government of Karnataka | |
| In office 28 February 1978 – 17 December 1979 | |
| Minister of Housing and Youth Affairs, Government of Karnataka | |
| In office 1976–1977 | |
| Minister of State for Information, Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of Karnataka | |
| In office 1973–1976 | |
| Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1972–1983 | |
| Preceded by | Gundugutti Manjanathaya |
| Succeeded by | B. A. Jivijaya |
| Constituency | Somwarpet |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 April 1937 Fraserpet, Nanjarajapatna Taluk, Coorg Province, British India (now Kushalnagara, Kodagu, Karnataka, India) |
| Died | 22 August 1993 (aged 56) London, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse |
Varalakshmi (m. 1965) |
| Children | 3; including Dinesh |
Rama Gundu Rao (27 September 1937 – 22 August 1993) was an Indian politician who was the eighth Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1980 to 1983. A member of the Indian National Congress (INC), he was appointed Chief Minister after the resignation of the D. Devaraj Urs-led ministry, following the party's loss in 27 seats out of 28 in the 1980 general election. Rao, a loyalist of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, joined Congress (I), her faction of the INC, and formed the government in the State.
Rao was born and raised in Karnataka's Kodagu district. It here here that he began his political career when he was elected president of the Somwarpet Town Municipal Council. After joining the INC in 1965, he quickly rose through the ranks, and was elected to the legislative assembly of Mysore (later Karnataka) twice. After briefly serving as leader of opposition, he was appointed Chief Minister in 1980. In 1989, he was elected member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's Parliament from Bangalore South. Rao died from leukemia in 1993, aged 56. His son Dinesh is also a politician and currently serves as the Minister of Health in the government of Karnataka.