R. Ashoka
Office18th Leader of the Opposition
Karnataka Legislative Assembly
Term start17 November 2023
1blanknameChief Minister
1namedataSiddaramaiah D. K Shivakumar
PredecessorB. S. Bommai (Acting)
Office 1Minister of Revenue
Government of Karnataka
Term start 120 August 2019
Term end 113 May 2023
1blankname 1Chief Minister
1namedata 1B. S. Yediyurappa
Basavaraj Bommai
Predecessor 1R. V. Deshpande
Office 2Minister of Municipal Administration
Government of Karnataka
Term start 227 September 2019
Term end 210 February 2020
1blankname 2Chief Minister
1namedata 2B. S. Yediyurappa
Predecessor 2R. Shankar
Successor 2Narayana Gowda
Office 3Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka
Term start 312 July 2012
Term end 313 May 2013
Alongside 3K. S. Eshwarappa
Predecessor 3B. S. Yediyurappa
Successor 3G. Parameshwara
Office 4Minister of Home Affairs
Government of Karnataka
Term start 423 September 2010
Term end 413 May 2013
1blankname 4Chief Minister
1namedata 4B. S. Yediyurappa
Sadananda Gowda
Jagadish Shettar
Predecessor 4V. S. Acharya
Successor 4K. J. George
Office 5Minister of Transport
Government of Karnataka
Term start 530 May 2008
Term end 513 May 2013
1blankname 5Chief Minister
1namedata 5B. S. Yediyurappa
Sadananda Gowda
Jagadish Shettar
Predecessor 5N. Chaluvaraya Swamy
Successor 5Ramalinga Reddy
Office 6Minister of Health & Family Welfare
Government of Karnataka
Term start 618 February 2006
Term end 68 October 2007
1blankname 6Chief Minister
1namedata 6H. D. Kumaraswamy
Predecessor 6N. Chaluvaraya Swamy
Successor 6B. Sriramulu
Office 7Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly
Term start 7May 2008
Predecessor 7Seat established
Constituency 7Padmanabhanagar
Term start 81998
Term end 82008
Predecessor 8M. Srinivas
Successor 8Seat disestablished
Constituency 8Uttarahalli
Birth date1 July 1957 (age 69)[1]
Birth placeJalahalli, Mysore State, India
PartyBharatiya Janata Party
EducationBachelor of Science
SpousePramilarani (m. 1987)
Websiterashoka.in

Ramaiah Ashoka[2] (born 1 July 1957) is an Indian politician who served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka from 2011 to 2013.[3][4] Serving as 18th Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly since 2023, he previously served as the Deputy Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly (2014 -2018), Minister of Revenue, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Transport under the BJP government.[5] He has also served as the Minister of Health and Family Welfare under the coalition government of BJP and JDS.[6] He is a seven-time MLA for Padmanabhanagar Assembly Constituency (before delimitation of the Uttarahalli assembly constituency).

Early political career

During the Emergency, he was arrested and detained in prison along with veteran leaders like L.K. Advani at the Central Jail in Bengaluru. He was first elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in the 1997 by-elections from Uttarahalli, which was the biggest state legislature constituency in India before delimitation. He was re-elected from the same constituency in the 1999 and 2004 Assembly elections with impressive margins. In the 2004 elections, he won by a margin of 84,001 votes which is the highest in any Karnataka Assembly election.[7]

Positions held

In 2008, he became the Minister of Health and family welfare in the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (Secular) (BJP-JD(S)) coalition government. As a minister, he implemented novel schemes and also streamlined the administration of the department.[8]

As Minister of Transport in the Yeddyurappa Government from 2008 onwards, he was instrumental in modernizing the department and also using innovative hi-tech methods to automate the working of the department.[9]

When Jagadish Shettar became Chief Minister in June 2012, Ashoka was appointed one of the two Deputy chief ministers and entrusted with the ministries of Home and Transport in the Government of Karnataka.[10][11][12]

Ashoka is regarded as one of the most influential leaders of the BJP in Bangalore city and has steered the party to historic victories in the 2010 and 2015 BBMP elections.[13][14][15]

On 26 August 2019, Ashoka was appointed the Revenue Minister in Karnataka government excluding Muzrai.[16][17]

References

  1. ^ S, Rajashekara (2 July 2020). "Revenue Minister R Ashoka tests negative, celebrates birthday in Chikkamagaluru". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  2. ^ "BJP MLA KS Eshwarappa takes oath as minister – NEWS9", retrieved 2021-07-30
  3. ^ "2 Deputy CMs for Karnataka". The Hindu. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2020. – via www.thehindu.com.
  4. ^ Balasubramanyam, K. R. (2 May 2018). "This former dy CM is a step closer to the top job". The Economic Times. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Ashoka: My election as LoP result of consensus". The Times of India. 2023-11-21. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  6. ^ A, Naina J. "Karnataka LoP R Ashoka says Congress scared of losing Lok Sabha polls". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  7. ^ "Karnataka Elections 2018: Election Trivia". News18. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  8. ^ "State keen to maintain record, says Ashok". The Hindu. 2007-01-08. Archived from the original on 2008-06-05.
  9. ^ "KSRTC to add 3,000 new buses this year". The Hindu
  10. ^ "Jagdish Shettar will have 2 deputies as he takes oath as Karnataka CM today". India Today. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  11. ^ "Cabinet Reshuffle: Ashoka gets Home, Palemar gets Muzrai". Daijiworld.
  12. ^ "The Rise & Rise Of Ashoka". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016.
  13. ^ "BJP Wins Bangalore Municipal Elections For The First Time". DNA India. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  14. ^ "For BBMP Polls, BJP Puts R Ashok At Helm". The New Indian Express. 2 August 2015. Archived from the original on 3 August 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  15. ^ "BBMP results: BJP sweeps Bangalore civic body's poll". India Today. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  16. ^ Bharadwaj, K. V. Aditya (26 August 2019). "In a first, Karnataka to have 3 Deputy Chief Ministers" (in en-IN). The Hindu. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  17. ^ "Karnataka CM Yediyurappa announces names of three Deputy Chief Ministers". www.thenewsminute.com. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.