Reports suggest former chief minister SM Krishna was unwell for quite some time. (File)
Bengaluru:
Former Karnataka chief minister SM Krishna, who is widely credited for putting Bengaluru on the world map, died at his home in the city past midnight. He was 92. The veteran politician, who had also served as the External Affairs Minister, breathed his last around 2:45 am. Reports suggest he was unwell for quite some time.
He served as the chief minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004 and the Governor of Maharashtra from 2004 to 2008. He became the foreign minister in 2009.
Mr Krishna, a key figure in making Bengaluru a tech capital, was born in Somanahalli in Mandya district on May 1, 1932. A Congress leader throughout his life, he joined the BJP towards the end of his political career.
He graduated from the Maharaja’s College in Mysuru and obtained a law degree from the Government Law College in Bengaluru. He later went to the US to study at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas and the George Washington University.
Mr Krishna’s political career began in 1962 when he won the Maddur assembly seat as an Independent and became a member of the Karnataka assembly.