Sudhakar: A legacy of resilience, accessibility

Karnataka on Sunday bid farewell to state's Minister for Planning and Statistics D Sudhakar, who died after a prolonged illness leaving behind a political legacy shaped by resilience, accessibility and decades of grassroots public service. Sudhakar, 66, died at Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences in the early hours of Sunday, where he had been undergoing treatment for a lung infection for nearly two months. The Congress MLA from Hiriyur who belonged to the Jain community, built his career across shifting political landscapes while maintaining strong roots among people in central Karnataka. Born in Challakere in Chitradurga district, Sudhakar completed his schooling there before pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce degree at National College in Shivamogga. Politics, however, remained close to his upbringing. Public life was not unfamiliar to the family. His uncle, N Jayanna, had served twice as MLA from Challakere between 1978 and 1989. Sudhakar formally entered electoral politics in 2004, winning from the Challakere Assembly constituency. When Challakere became a reserved constituency in 2008, he shifted base to Hiriyur and contested as an independent candidate, a move that demonstrated both political courage and confidence in his personal rapport with voters. After winning from Hiriyur, he extended support to former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and the BJP, eventually serving as a minister in the saffron party government. In 2013, he returned to the Congress, contested again from Hiriyur and emerged victorious. That period saw him entrusted with important administrative responsibilities, including serving as chairman of Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS), where he was associated with technology and industrial development initiatives. Though he lost the 2018 Assembly election to BJP's Poornima, Sudhakar remained politically active and retained his connection with the constituency. His comeback in the 2023 Assembly election on a Congress ticket reaffirmed his enduring influence in Hiriyur. Following the Congress victory in Karnataka that year, he was inducted into the Siddaramaiah cabinet as Minister for Planning and Statistics and also served as Chitradurga district in-charge minister. Condoling his demise, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said his association and relationship with Sudhakar was not limited merely to politics, but beyond. ''I shared a bond and friendship with his father. When someone close to the heart suddenly passes away like this, the pain is even greater. Today, I am in such indescribable grief,''.Kharge said. According to him, Sudhakar was an extremely active and people-oriented leader who still had much more to achieve. ''The mind refuses to accept that he has passed away at such a relatively young age,'' Kharge said in a post on 'X'. The Congress chief said Sudhakar, who had worked extensively in the cooperative sector, drew his attention through his dynamism and active personality. Though the votes of his own community in the constituency he contested from did not even cross a hundred, he earned the support and affection of the people there because of his secular nature and his sincere concern for the public, Kharge noted. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah described his cabinet colleague's death as ''an extremely painful moment,'' recalling that he had recently met Sudhakar in hospital and felt hopeful about his recovery. ''Sudhakar was a person with immense concern and commitment towards public service. Such a person should have remained among the people for many more years,'' Siddaramaiah said. He is survived by his wife Harshini, daughter Spoorthi and son Suhas.

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