Former Karnataka Minister Ramachandra Gowda passes away at 88

Bengaluru: Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Karnataka Minister Ramachandra Gowda passed away at the age of 88 at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

Senior party leaders remembered his decades-long contribution to the party's growth and organisation in the state.

Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje expressed grief over his demise and described him as a veteran BJP leader who dedicated his entire life to the nationalist movement.


In a post on X, Karandlaje wrote, "Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Ramachandra Gowda Ji, a veteran BJP leader who dedicated his entire life to the nationalist movement from Bharatiya Jana Sangh to the BJP. He travelled extensively across Karnataka to strengthen the organisation, mentored generations of young karyakartas, represented the Bangalore Graduates' Constituency for nearly three decades, and served as a Cabinet Minister."

She further said, "His unwavering commitment to the party, public service, and nation will always be remembered. Heartfelt condolences to his family and all BJP karyakartas. Om Shanti."

Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, also paid tribute to Gowda, calling him the "Bhishma of Bangalore BJP" and one of the key architects of the party's organisational growth in the state.

In a post on X, Ashoka said he was deeply shocked by the demise of the senior leader, who had laid a strong foundation for the BJP in Bengaluru since the Jana Sangh days.

"He always led with love, placed a reassuring hand on our shoulders, and guided lakhs of workers for decades. His departure is as painful as losing an elder in our own family," Ashoka said.

Ashoka said Gowda took the party's first major step in the state capital after being elected to the Bangalore Municipal Corporation as a Jana Sangh candidate in 1970.

"If the BJP has grown proudly in Bangalore today, his sacrifice, hard work and organisational loyalty are firmly entrenched in its roots. He was a rare leader who dedicated his life to the party organisation for more than five decades without any desire for power," he said.

Ashoka also highlighted Gowda's tenure as a five-time member of the Karnataka Legislative Council. "No matter how much power he gained, he never abandoned his simplicity; no matter how high his position, he never forgot his workers. The doors of his house and mind were always open for the workers," he said.

Calling Gowda an "organisational architect" of the BJP, Ashoka said, "Today, our party has lost not only a senior leader, but also an organisational architect who built and nurtured the party since the days of the Jana Sangh. With his departure, a long era of the party's organisational strength and ideological commitment has come to an end."

He prayed for eternal peace for Gowda's soul and strength for his family, relatives and party workers to bear the loss.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa also expressed sorrow and prayed that God grant peace to his soul and bestow strength upon his family members.

"I have lost yet another brother. The news of the passing of Shri Ramachandra Gowda, my soulmate of decades, senior leader, and former minister, has brought me immense sorrow. The days of struggle--standing shoulder to shoulder since the Jana Sangh era, toiling day and night, building the party from the grassroots level together in the state--swirl before my eyes. As a colleague in my cabinet, I have witnessed his administrative acumen and dedication up close. His departure has created a profound void not only for the party and the public sphere but also personally within me. I pray that God grant peace to his soul, and bestow strength upon his family members and admirers to bear this grief," Yediyurappa wrote on X.

Alongside leaders like BS Yediyurappa, Gowda spent decades travelling through rural Karnataka to build the BJP's cadre from scratch.

As the Minister for Science & Technology, Gowda spearheaded the digitisation of state government files. He was a driving force behind establishing early e-governance protocols to speed up bureaucratic approvals in Karnataka. During his tenure as the Minister for Mines and Geology, he introduced strict regulatory frameworks to curb illegal mining. Gowda focused on streamlined licensing processes to maximise state revenue while preserving natural resources.