Former Karnataka Chief Minister and former External Affairs Minister S M Krishna passes away

BENGALURU: Former Karnataka chief minister and former union external affairs Minister S M Krishna passed away early Tuesday morning. He was 92. He passed away at 2.45 am today at his residence in Bengaluru. He was leading a peaceful life due to age-related ailments.

He was the chief minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004. He served as the Governor of Maharashtra from 2004 to 2008. He was the external affairs minister in the UPA government from 2009 to 2012. He was the Speaker of the Karnataka Vidhan Sabha from 1989 to 1993. He left the Congress and joined the BJP in 2017. He entered politics through Praja Socialist Party in 1962 and was a well-known lawyer. The country honored him with the Padma Vibhushan award in 2023.

S M Krishna played a key role in transforming Bengaluru into the 'Silicon Valley of India'. Bengaluru grew into an IT hub under Krishna's leadership. During his tenure as chief minister, the Bengaluru Agenda Task Force (BATF) was formed. Infosys co-founder Nandan M Nilekani played a key role in it.

He studied at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and George Washington University in US. In 1960, while still a law student, he campaigned for John F Kennedy, who was running for US President.

He was also an excellent tennis player. He was an ardent fan of Australian tennis legend Frank Sedman. He had visited London to watch Wimbledon. He also loved to design clothes.