Former Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna passed away at his residence early this morning today. According to a family source, the 92-year-old senior politician has been unwell for a while. “S M Krishna is no more. He breathed his last at 2:45 am at his residence. Mortal remains are likely to be taken to Maddur today,” the source said.
Krishna, who was born on May 1, 1932, in Somanahalli in the Mandya district of Karnataka. He attended the Government Law College in Bengaluru and Maharaja’s College in Mysuru before graduating with further degrees from George Washington University in Washington, DC, and Southern Methodist University in Texas. One of the most intellectually successful leaders of his era, Krishna was the recipient of the esteemed Fulbright Scholarship.
During his tenure as Karnataka’s Chief Minister from 1999 to 2004, he played a key role in making Bengaluru a major center for information technology worldwide. His status as a renowned statesman was further solidified during his time serving as External Affairs Minister under the UPA government from 2009 to 2012. In addition, he served as Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from 1989 to 1993 and as Governor of Maharashtra from 2004 to 2008.
Krishna joined the BJP due to ideological differences, in 2017, near the end of his political career after serving for a long time in the Congress. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2023.
