Former Chief Minister passed away

Former Chief Minister passed away

Former Karnataka chief minister N Dharam Singh died of a heart attack at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Thursday. Singh, 80, is survived by his wife and two sons.

Born in Nelogi village of Kalaburgi, Singh, a Rajput began his long innings in politics as an Independent Corporator in the then Gulbarga District City Municipal Council by contesting against his own brother.

In 1980, he had given up the Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat to accommodate CM Stephen, who was a union minister in the Indira Gandhi Cabinet, in her direction.

Singh has served as a minister under various chief ministers including D Devaraj Urs, R Gundu Rao, S Bangarappa, M Veerappa Moily and SM Krishna, and has handled diverse portfolios including PWD, Home, excise, social welfare, urban development and revenue, before becoming chief minister in 2004.

In 2009, he got elected from Bidar Lok Sabha constituency and gave up politics for health reasons.