He served five terms as MLA. He was one of the first MLAs of the BJP in the state along with BS Yediyurappa in 1983.
Belthangady Vasanth Bangera. (X)
Five-time MLA from Belthangady Vasanth Bangera died after a long-time illness at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Wednesday, 8 May, according to family sources.
He was 79 and is survived by his wife, two daughters and one son.
Known for his hard talk and clean hands, Bangera was born on 15 January 1946 and has been a leader of the Billava community in Dakshina Kannada. He served five terms as MLA. He was one of the first MLAs of the BJP in the state along with BS Yediyurappa in 1983.
In 1989, Bangera left the BJP and contested as an independent, but lost. By 1994, he had joined the Janata Dal. This time again, he became MLA defeating his own brother K Prabhakar Bangera.
He lost against his brother twice in 1999 and 2004 but got back his seat in the legislature in 2008 and 2013 and became the longest-serving MLA of the Belthangady assembly segment which falls under the Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha Constituency.
According to the party and family sources, his mortal remains will be brought to Belthangady and will be kept for public viewing between 10 am to 4 pm at the Belthangady taluk sports complex and cremated thereafter.
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![[Left] File photo of BJP MLA Harish Poonja, who has been booked, and [right] Poonja sitting for a protest in front of Belthangady Police Station in the early hours of Sunday, 19 May, 2024.](https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media.thesouthfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Harish-Poonja-and-Belthangady.jpg "Harish Poonja and Belthangady")
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