Published May 10, 2026 | 9:04 AM ⚊ Updated May 10, 2026 | 9:04 AM
D Sudhakar.
Synopsis: Karnataka Planning and Statistics Minister D Sudhakar died Bengaluru at the age of 66 after a prolonged illness. Senior Congress leader and MLA from Hiriyur in Chitradurga district, Sudhakar had been undergoing treatment for a lung infection for the past two months.
Karnataka Planning and Statistics Minister D Sudhakar died in the early hours of Sunday, 10 May, in Bengaluru at the age of 66 after a prolonged illness.
Senior Congress leader and MLA from Hiriyur in Chitradurga district, Sudhakar had been undergoing treatment for a lung infection for the past two months.
A significant face in Karnataka politics for over two decades, Sudhakar represented both Challakere and Hiriyur in the Assembly across multiple terms and held ministerial portfolios under different governments.
“Sudhakar was a person with immense care and dedication toward public service. Individuals like him should have remained among the people for much longer,” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in a post on X on Sunday.
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Sudhakar first entered the Karnataka Assembly in 2004, winning from the Challakere constituency in Chitradurga district on a Congress ticket.
However, following delimitation, Challakere was declared a reserved constituency for Scheduled Tribes. In 2008, he contested independently from Hiriyur in Chitradurga district after being denied a ticket by the Congress.
In the same year, Sudhakar became the Minister of Social Welfare after declaring support for the BS Yediyurappa-led BJP government.
In 2013, he was re-elected as MLA on the Congress ticket from Hiriyur. He lost in the next Assembly election in 2018 to BJP leader K Poornima by a margin of 12,875 votes. In the last election, in 2023, he won against Poornima by over 30,000 votes.
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Condolences poured in from several leaders across party lines on Sunday.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar described Sudhakar as a leader with a deep concern for the people.
“Known as the benefactor of the poor, whenever he came to meet me, he would invariably bring along a plea regarding one or the other development work in the constituency. That quality of his reflected his boundless love for the people of the constituency,” he said in a post on X.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said that Sudhakar was forever devoted to the people of Hiriyur and Chitradurga. He remembered him for his smiling mannerisms, simplicity and grassroots connections.
“He always kept the cause of people and Congress workers above all else. He will be deeply missed by every Congressmen and women,” he said in a post on X.
BJP leaders Vijayendra Yediyurappa and R Ashoka too condoled his death.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
