I was a prominent Trade Union leader at Janata Bazaar. It led to the acquaintance of Deve Gowda, BL Shankar, PGR Sindhia and others. Through them, I officially joined the Janata Party. I joined the JP Movement against the imposition of Emergency in the country. I also took part in the nationwide padayatra started by Chandrashekar.
I canvassed on behalf of PGR Sindhia in the election to the Assembly from Kanakapura constituency in 1986. The election to the Bengaluru city corporation was announced the same year. A revenue inspector by the name Muniyappa was close to me. He inspired me to contest the elections. I felt confident. I was promised a ticket from the Janata Party from Vijayangar constituency. But before I could file my nomination papers, Jeevaraj Alva, Raghupati and a few others tried to obtain the same ticket for someone else.
D Manjunath was the State-president of the Janata Party. I got in touch with Manjunath, VR Krishna Iyer, TR Shamanna, HD Deve Gowda, BL Shankar and others and persisted with them for a ticket. I even contacted the national president of Janata Party, Chandrashekar for the ticket. In the end, it was only BL Shankar who stood by my side. Finally, I approached the Chief Minister Ramakrishana Hegde. PGR Sindhia had resigned from Kanakapura to enable Hegde to contest the by-election from that constituency. The entire Congress leadership was concentrating on defeating Hegde there. Hegde knew how I had leaded a group of youngsters and kept the Congress leaders there on a tight leash. Due to Hegde’s graciousness, I obtained the party B-form. I filed the nomination papers. I also obtained the support of Sri Balagangadharanatha Swamiji, the pontiff of Sri Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt.
In the meantime, I had taken to task a police officer who had dragged one of our party workers to the station and assaulted him. This incident had made me popular in the Ward. I won with a thumping majority. The Ward had poor infrastructure. The law and order situation too was not satisfactory. Slowly, I managed to gain the confidence of all sections of the society and build the infrastructure there. So, during the next Corporation election in 1987, I easily scored a huge victory.
Having proved myself as a two-term Corporator from Vijayanagar, I managed to easily obtain a ticket to contest the Assembly elections from Binnypet in 1994. I won comfortably with a record margin.
However, the fight between Ramakrishna Hegde and Deve Gowda over the chief minister’s post created a major crisis. I backed Deve Gowda. My belief was that he was entitled for the post. I was summoned to Windsor Manor. Hegde, JH Patel and Bommai sat there in a pensive mood. They enquired me about the ruckus created by party workers near Hegde’s residence and at the party office. I bluntly told him what had happened. Hegde was upset with what he heard. Bommai subtly gave me words of wisdom and let me go.
Deve Gowda became the Chief Minister. But I was not made a minister! He said Hegde would be upset if I was made a minister and I should bide my time. Subsequently, Deve Gowda rose to become the Prime Minster rather unexpectedly. The fight for the chief minister’s post started all over again. Some of us obtained 86 signatures in favour of Siddaramaiah. But no one dared to send the letter to the party leaders. I alone carried that letter to meet the national leaders of the party like Biju Patnaik, Madhu Dandavathe and others who were in Bengaluru. JH Patel, who was present there, asked me why he should not become the chief minister. I left the place without speaking.
In a dramatic development, instead of Siddaramaiah, JH Patel was made the chief minister. Surprisingly, Patel chose me as a minister. Admonishing me saying I should be given some unimportant portfolio, he gave me insignificant departments like Prions. I did not mind the portfolio and worked with dedication.
I had invited the then Governor, Kurshid Alam Khan, for the function in which prisoners with good character were released early. The Governor spoke highly of my work with the Chief Minister. Maybe because of this, Patel handed me the important portfolio of Bengaluru city development. Several futuristic projects like flyovers, underpasses and the Cauvery IV Stage came to be implemented then.
The situation in 1999 was completely different. Janata Dal had splintered. It was difficult even to guess who was in which faction. Sri Balagangadharanatha Swamiji suggested I join the Congress. He said SM Krishna was certain to become the Chief Minister and he would make me a minister. I decided to join the Congress and met Krishna, believing in him. I even went to Delhi in the hopes of obtaining a ticket. But in the end, he let me down.
Sri Balagangadharanatha Swamiji called me and asked me to file the nomination papers as an independent candidate the next morning. He said he was unhappy I did not obtain the party ticket but said a good administrator like me was necessary for the Constituency. He said he had just then completed offering prayers to Lord Kalabhairava and good tidings were coming my way.
The next day, there were thousands of people with me when I filed my nomination papers. I won the election with a thumping majority as an independent. Leaders from all political parties were surprised by the kind of victory I achieved.
In changed circumstances, I won the election to Binnypet for the third time in 2004 on a Congress ticket. In 2008, I once again won from the Congress contesting from Govindarajnagar.
In 2010, I was elected to the Legislative Council from the BJP and became the Food and Civil Supplies minister along with managing the portfolios of Religious Endowments and Housing. I was elected to the Council for the second time in 2016 from the BJP. In 2019 I won the Assembly election from Govindarajnagar as a BJP candidate with a huge margin.
I was given the Horticulture and Silk Department early on. Later in 2021 I was given the significant Housing and Infrastructure Development portfolio.
