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Veerendra Patil

Veerendra Patil
7th Chief Minister of Karnataka
In office
29 May 1968 – 18 March 1971
Governor Dharma Vira
Preceded by S. Nijalingappa
Succeeded by D. Devaraj Urs
In office
30 November 1989 – 10 October 1990
Governor Pendekanti Venkatasubbaiah
Bhanu Pratap Singh
Preceded by S. R. Bommai
Succeeded by S. Bangarappa
Member of the Indian Parliament
for Gulbarga
In office
1984–1989
Preceded by N. Dharam Singh
Succeeded by B. G. Jawali
Personal details
Born 1924
Chincholi, Gulbarga district
Died (aged 73)
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Political party Indian National Congress

Veerandra Patil (Kannada: ವೀರೇಂದ್ರ ಪಾಟೀಲ್) (1924–1997) was a senior Indian politician and was twice, the Chief Minister of Karnataka. He became Chief Minister for the first time from 1968–1971; and the second time was almost 18 years later, from 1989–1990.

Born in a middle-class family in Chincholi in Gulbarga district, Patil belonged to the Panchamasali sub-sect of the dominant Lingayat community. He was first made a Deputy minister for Home in the S. Nijalingappa government in 1957. He was elected several times from Chincholi assembly constituency of Gulbarga district to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. In his youth, Patil teamed up with Ramakrishna Hegde and took control of the Congress organisation in the state on Nijalingappa's behalf. Being young & charismatic ministers in Nijalingappa cabinet, they both were referred as 'Lava-Kusha'. When he moved to federal politics, Nijalingappa chose Patil as his successor.

Patil's first innings as Chief minister lasted 33 months and 10 days. His control over the state administration dispelled the impression that he was just a dummy for his mentor, Nijalingappa, then the president of the All India Congress Committee.

It was during his tenure that the century-old Cauvery water dispute gained ground as Tamil Nadu objected to the irrigation projects in the Cauvery basin. Patil went ahead with the projects even though the Central Water Commission refused to clear them, to protect the interests of the farmers of the south Karnataka region who were heavily dependent on irrigation from Cauvery. Also, It was he who promoted the Karnataka Power Corporation and separated the state electricity board from the responsibility of generating power.

However, Patil was also charged with favouring his Lingayat community. After the Congress split in 1969, Patil's Congress (O) party remained in power in the state until 1971 and crashed to a dismal defeat in the state assembly election in 1972 at the hands of Congress(I).


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