H. D. Deve Gowda
H. D. Deve Gowda is an Indian politician and the president of the Janata Dal (Secular). He was born on 18 May 1933 in Haradanahalli, Karnataka, into a farming family. He studied civil engineering and earned a diploma from L. V. Polytechnic in Hassan.
Gowda began his political career with the Indian National Congress in 1953 and later joined other parties. He became the president of the state unit of the Janata Dal in 1994 and led the party to victory in Karnataka in 1994.
He served as the Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1994 to 1996. In 1996, after elections produced no clear winner, he became the Prime Minister of India and led the United Front government for about 11 months until April 1997.
As a member of Parliament, Gowda has been elected to the Lok Sabha from Hassan (1991–1994, 1998–1999, 2004–2019) and from Kanakapura (2002–2004). Since 2020 he has been a member of the Rajya Sabha representing Karnataka. He has been the president of Janata Dal (Secular) since 1999 and remains a key political figure in Karnataka.
Gowda is married to Chennamma since 1954, and they have six children, including H. D. Revanna and H. D. Kumaraswamy. Kumaraswamy is a former Karnataka chief minister and current union minister. He belongs to the Vokkaliga community and is known as a village and state leader.
In 2019, Gowda contested the Tumkur Lok Sabha seat but lost. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2020. In 2025, he was hospitalized in Bengaluru after a urinary tract infection.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:58 (CET).