Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna (1 May 1932 – 10 December 2024) was an Indian politician who served as Minister of External Affairs of India from 2009 to October 2012.[1] He was the 10th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004 and the 19th Governor of Maharashtra from 2004 to 2008. S. M. Krishna served as the Speaker of the Karnataka Vidhana Soudha from December 1989 to January 1993. He was also a Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha member from 1971 to 2014. He is widely credited with putting Bengaluru on the world map by building the foundation for it to become the IT Hub that it is today during his tenure as Chief Minister.[2] In 2023, Krishna was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of India.[3]
In 1968, he was influential in reconciling members of the Indian National Congress and the Praja Socialist Party. He served three terms as an MP from the Mandya constituency of Karnataka, starting from the 1968 by-poll as a PSP candidate.[11] His following terms were as a Congressman, winning elections in 1971 and 1980. Mandya remained a Congress stronghold, represented in Lok Sabha later by his political proteges such as Ambareesh and Divya Spandana (also known as Ramya). S M Krishna resigned from Lok Sabha in 1972, and became a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council and was appointed a minister by Devaraj Urs.[12]
After he went back to Lok Sabha in 1980,[9] he served as a minister under Indira Gandhi between 1983–84. He lost his run for the Mandya Lok Sabha seat in the 1984 elections. He was reelected to the Karnataka legislative assembly in 1985. He served as Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly between 18 December 1989 and 20 January 1993.[13] He served as Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1993 to 1994.[14] Later, he became a member of the Rajya Sabha between April 1996 and 1999.[15]
Krishna was appointed Governor of Maharashtra on 6 December 2004. Krishna resigned as Governor of Maharashtra on 5 March 2008.[17] It was reported that this was due to his intention to return to active politics in Karnataka.[18] President Pratibha Patil accepted his resignation on 6 March.[19]
Krishna entered the Rajya Sabha and subsequently took the oath of office as Union Cabinet Minister of External Affairs in the Council of Ministers under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 22 May 2009.[20] In his tenure as the external affairs minister, he visited a number of countries including Tajikistan in 2012 to strengthen economic and energy ties.[21] Krishna resigned as External Affairs Minister on 26 October 2012 indicating a return to Karnataka state politics.[1][22]
Krishna resigned as a member of INC on 29 January 2017, stating that the party was in a "state of confusion" on whether it needed mass leaders or not. He also complained of having been sidelined by the party and that the party was "dependent on managers and not time-tested people like himself".[23] After speculation concerning his joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, he formally joined the party in March 2017.[24] He announced his retirement from politics in January 2023, citing age-related issues.[25]
Positions held
Krishna at the 6th Asian Congress of Neurological Surgeons, organised by the Hinduja Hospital
Krishna was married to Prema. They had two daughters.[32] His daughter Malavika Krishna was married to the Late V. G. Siddhartha, a businessman and the founder of Cafe Coffee Day.[33] He had a younger brother, Shankar (died 2019), who was a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council.[34]
At the dusk of his political life, he released his biography, Smritivahini, in the presence of many dignitaries. He penned many interesting incidents, including VeerappanKidnapping of Rajkumar during his tenure as the chief minister.[35] He also quoted that the former prime minister of India and national president of Janata Dal (Secular)H. D. Devegowda had strong plans of joining Indian National Congress twice during the period of National emergency.[36][37]
Krishna died from a long illness at his residence in Bengaluru, on 10 December 2024, at the age of 92.[38][39][40] He was cremated with state honours complete with gun salute at his ancestral village of Somanahalli in Maddur taluk of Mandya district on 11 December.[41] The Karnataka Government announced a three day mourning period.[42]
