New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended birthday greetings to Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and said that through his work in the steel and heavy industries, he is strengthening India’s efforts towards Aatmanirbharta.

The Prime Minister took to the social media platform X to convey his wishes. “Birthday wishes to Union Minister Shri H.D. Kumaraswamy,” PM Modi wrote.

Praising the Union Minister’s contributions, the Prime Minister added, “He is strengthening our efforts towards Aatmanirbharta through his work in the steel and heavy industries. May he be blessed with a long and healthy life in service of society,” the Prime Minister said in his post.

Haradanahalli Deve Gowda Kumaraswamy is a seasoned Indian politician and a prominent leader of the Janata Dal(Secular). He has previously served as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka and is currently holding the portfolios of Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Minister of Steel in the Central government.

Kumaraswamy is also a sitting Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Channapatna constituency, a seat he won in the 2023 Assembly elections. He is the son of H.D. Deve Gowda, former Chief Minister of Karnataka and former Prime Minister of India, and has played a significant role in state and national politics over the decades.

He entered active politics during the 1996 General Elections and was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha from the Kanakapura Parliamentary constituency. However, his political journey saw early setbacks. In the 1998 elections, he lost to Congress leader M.V. Chandrashekara Murthy and forfeited his security deposit. He faced another defeat in the 1999 Assembly elections from the Sathanur constituency.

Kumaraswamy’s fortunes turned in 2004 when he won the Assembly elections from the Ramanagara constituency. The 2004 Karnataka Assembly elections resulted in a hung Assembly, following which the Congress and JD(S) formed a coalition government with a power-sharing arrangement. Kumaraswamy was elected to represent the Ramanagara Assembly segment during this period.

In January 2006, he was invited by then Governor T.N. Chaturvedi to form the government after the JD(S) entered into a 20-month power-sharing agreement with the BJP. Kumaraswamy assumed office as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on February 4, 2006, and remained in the position until October 8, 2007. Before stepping down, he declined to transfer power to the BJP for the remaining term of the agreement.

He was later re-elected to the Lok Sabha, marking his second term as a Member of Parliament. On May 31, 2013, Kumaraswamy became the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. In November 2014, he was once again elected as the Karnataka State President of the JD(S).

The 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections also resulted in a fractured mandate. With the support of the Congress party, Kumaraswamy took oath as Chief Minister on May 23, 2018. However, he resigned from the post on July 23, 2019, following the collapse of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government.

In the 2023 Assembly elections, Kumaraswamy won from the Channapatna constituency on a JD(S) ticket. He later contested and won the Mandya Lok Sabha seat and was subsequently inducted into the Modi 3.0 Cabinet. He currently serves as the Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Minister of Steel.

–IANS

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