Kyasamballi Chengaluraya Reddy (4 May 1902 – 27 February 1976) was the first

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

of Mysore State (Now

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

). Reddy later served as the governor of Madhya Pradesh.

Early life

K.C. Reddy was born on 4 May 1902 into a

Vokkaliga Vokkaliga (also transliterated as Vokkaligar, Vakkaliga, Wakkaliga, Okkaligar, Okkiliyan) is a community of closely related castes, from the Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. As a community of warriors and cultivators they have historical ...

family in Kyasamballi village,

Kolar district Kolar district () is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. Kolar, Karnataka, Kolar (ಕೋಲಾರ) is the district headquarters. Located in southern Karnataka, it is the state's easternmost district. The district is surrounded by the ...

. He was a revolutionary from childhood and participated in many protests against

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

in India.

Career

After graduating in law, Reddy along with other political activists, founded the Praja Paksha (''Peoples' Party'') in 1930. The aim of this party was to achieve responsible government in the

Princely state of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a geopolitical realm in South India, southern India founded in around 1399 in the vicinity of the modern-day city of Mysore and prevailed until 1950. The territorial boundaries and the form of government transmuted su ...

. The party gained support in rural areas as it largely highlighted the issues of farmers. The Praja Paksha and Praja Mitra Mandali joined to form the Praja Samyukta Paksha (''Mysore People's Federation'') in 1934. Reddy served as its president from 1935 to 1937.Community dominance and political modernisation: the Lingayats – Shankaragouda Hanamantagouda Patil – Google Books
/ref> Later, the federation merged with the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

and participated in the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

. Reddy served as the president of Mysore Congress twice, in 1937–38 and 1946–47. He was also a member of the

Constituent Assembly of India Constituent Assembly of India was partly elected and partly nominated body to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the Provincial assemblies of British India following the Provincial Assembly elections held in 1946 and nominated ...

. After independence of India in 1947, he was at the forefront of the Mysore Chalo movement seeking responsible state government in Mysore State and went on to become the first Chief Minister of the state. He served in this position from 1947 to 1952. Reddy was elected as a member of the

Mysore Legislative Assembly The Karnataka Legislative Assembly (formerly the Mysore Legislative Assembly) is the lower house of the Karnataka Legislature, bicameral legislature of the South India, southern Indian state of Karnataka. Karnataka is one of the six states in ...

in 1952 representing Bangarapet.Subsequently, he served as a member of the

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

from 1952 to 1957 and as a member of the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...

, representing Kolar from 1957 to 1962. During this period, he also served as Union Minister for Housing and Supplies (1957–61) and as Union Minister for Commerce and Industries (1961–62). Later, he also served as Governor of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

from 1965 to 1971. Reddy's birth centenary was commemorated in 2002 when his contribution towards the development of Karnataka was hailed. The 30 kilometre section of Outer Ring Road in

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, from Hebbal to Central Silk Board, is named after KC Reddy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, K. C. 1902 births 1976 deaths Chief ministers of Karnataka People from Kolar district Governors of Madhya Pradesh Members of the Constituent Assembly of India India MPs 1957–1962 Rajya Sabha members from Karnataka Lok Sabha members from Karnataka Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Indian National Congress politicians from Karnataka Commerce and industry ministers of India Mysore MLAs 1952–1957 Members of the Mysore Legislature India MPs 1962–1967

Early life

Career

See also

References