Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi (; 1 October 1951 – 3 March 2002) was an Indian

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. Growing up in a small Village, Balayogi had to travel to G.Vemavaram village for his primary education. He received his Post Graduate in

Kakinada Kakinada (; formerly known as Cocanada) is a Port, port city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Situated along the Bay of Bengal, it serves as the headquarters of Kakinada district and is a prominent economic and c ...

and a law degree from

Andhra University Andhra University is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926. It is graded as an A++ institution by NAAC receiving a score of 3.74 on a scale of 4. History King Vikram Deo Verma, the Mah ...

Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam (; List of renamed places in India, formerly known as Vizagapatam, and also referred to as Vizag, Visakha, and Waltair) is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the States and union territories of India, Indian stat ...

. He was serving as the speaker of 12th Lok Sabha when he died in a helicopter crash.

Early career

Balayogi began practicing law in 1980 in Kakinada under the guidance of Gopalaswamy Shetty, and in 1985, was selected as a First Class Magistrate. He then resigned from this post and returned to the bar to resume legal practice. In 1986, he took over as the vice-chairman of the Cooperative Town Bank of Kakinada, and in 1987, was elected as the Chairman of the East Godavari Zilla Praja Parishad. He was the First Dalit speaker in Loksabha.

Politics

In 1991, Balayogi was elected to the 10th

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 ...

under the

Telugu Desam Party The Telugu Desam Party (TDP; ) is an Indian regional political party primarily active in the Federated state, states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It was founded by Telugu cinema, Telugu matinée idol N. T. Rama Rao (NTR) on 29 March 1982 a ...

ticket. He lost this seat in the 1996 general elections, but continued political work in his community and was soon elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in a by-election from the

Mummidivaram Assembly constituency Mummidivaram Assembly constituency is a constituency in Konaseema district of Andhra Pradesh that elects representatives to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in India. It is one of the seven assembly segments of Amalapuram Lok Sabha cons ...

. Subsequently, he was appointed as the Minister of Higher Education in the Government of Andhra Pradesh. In 1998, Balayogi was elected into parliament; he became the 12th Speaker of Lok Sabha (24 March 1998) and again for the 13th Lok Sabha (22 October 1999). As the Speaker, he chaired the Business Advisory Committee, Rules Committee, General Purposes Committee and Standing Committee of the Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in India, and he presided over the Indian Parliamentary Group, National Group of Inter-Parliamentary Union and India Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Along with these duties, Balayogi headed many Indian Parliamentary Delegations to foreign countries, while hosting visiting countries as well.

Death

On 3 March 2002, Balayogi died in crash of a

Bell 206 The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- and twin-engined helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec, plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter progr ...

helicopter in Kaikalur, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh. The chopper, it began to lose height after returning from Bhimavaram. The rotor hit the crown of one of the many coconut palms in the area at Kovvadalanka village in Mandavalli mandal, 100 km from Vijayawada. The Speaker, his security officer D. Satya Raju and pilot Capt.G. V. Menon died instantly.

Legacy

G. M. C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium was named in his memory.

References

External links

Lok Sabha Official Website: Biography

Outlook India: Portraits
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balayogi, G.M.C. Balayogi 1951 births 2002 deaths Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents in India India MPs 1998–1999 India MPs 1999–2004 Telugu Desam Party politicians India MPs 1991–1996 Lok Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh district councillors Andhra University alumni People from East Godavari district Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2002