Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi (born 28 June 1952) is an Indian politician from
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 ...
and currently a member of
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 ...
.
He was
Union Minister of State
The Union Council of Ministers is the principal executive organ of the Government of India, which serves to aid and advise the President of India in execution of their functions.Article 74 of the ''Constitution of India'' It is chaired by th ...
for
Drinking Water
Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...
and
Sanitation
Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...
in 2016. He was member of the Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth and
Sixteenth 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 ...
. He was inducted into
PM, Narendra Modi's government as a Minister of State for Drinking Water & Sanitation on July 5, 2016. He represents the
Bijapur
Bijapur (officially Vijayapura) is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural importa ...
constituency (2019–2024) and is currently a member of the
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
which he joined in 2002. He has also been a member of
Janata Dal
Janata Dal () was an List of political parties in India, Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Lok Dal, Indian National Congress (Jagjivan), and the Jan Morcha on 11 October 1988—the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Na ...
and Ramakrishna Hegde's Vedike Party and Ram Vilas Paswan's Jan Shakti Party in 2001 when Hegde was planning to retire.
Early life and education
Ramesh Jigajinagi was born on 28 June 1952 in
Atharga village of
Bijapur District in
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 ...
to Chandappa and Bhoramma Jigajinagi. He married Shoba and has two sons, Vinod and Anand, both businessmen. He completed his B.A from BLDEA's New Arts College, Bijapur and later earned his master's degree. Ramesh is a dalit and hails from a
Scheduled Caste community.
Career
He has been able to retain support in northern Karnataka, even after switching parties. His electoral victory is significant, contesting and winning his seat against
B. Shankaranand of 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 ...
'. Ramesh entered the 12th Lok Sabha with a margin of 1,31,238 votes.
Parliament of India's website
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Initially, he joined the undivided Janata Dal
Janata Dal () was an List of political parties in India, Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Lok Dal, Indian National Congress (Jagjivan), and the Jan Morcha on 11 October 1988—the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Na ...
under the mentorship of Ramakrishna Hegde Sir. He remained in the Janatha Dal and was a staunch supporter of Ramakrishna Hegde. When Ramakrishna Hegde floated the Rashtreeya Nava Nirmana Vedike, he was among the earliest sitting MLAs to support him and join the new party by resigning his ministership. Later, he joined Lok Shakti
Lok Shakti ( lit. People's Power) was a political party in India. Lok Shakti was one of several parties that were formed when the Janata Dal crumbled in the mid-1990s. LS was formed in February 1997 after Ramakrishna Hegde was expelled from ...
, a party formed by Ramakrishna Hegde and rejoined Janata Dal United after the merger of Lok Shakti with the former. After the death of his mentor, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
. He was elected as MP for five times without a break.
He was elected as an MP for the first time in 1996 from Chikkodi, a constituency reserved from SC community, on Lok Shakti ticket. In 1998, he won again on Janata Dal ticket and on BJP ticket in 2004, both from Chikkodi. Later, he returned to Bijapur, his native after Chikkodi became an unreserved seat. From then on he won the Bijapur SC seat, which is now Vijayapura.
Positions held
* Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly 1983- 1985, 1985–1989, 1994-1999 (3 terms)
* Minister of State, Home Department in the Government of Karnataka 1983
* Minister of State, Excise Department in the Government of Karnataka 1984–1985
* Cabinet Minister for Social Welfare and Revenue in the Government of Karnataka 1996–1998
* Member of the 12th Loksabha 1998-1999 (Winning Margin=131238). From Chikkodi on Lok Shakti ticket.
* Member of the 13th Lok Sabha 1999-2004 (Winning Margin=84590)
* Member of the 14th Lok Sabha 2004-2009 (Winning Margin=43492), for BJP.
* Member of the 15th Lok Sabha 2009-2014 (Winning Margin=42404) From Bijapur.
* Member of the 16th Lok Sabha 2014- 2019 (Winning Margin=69819)
* Member of the 17th Lok Sabha 2019 - 2024 (Winning Margin = 2,58,038)
* Member of the 18th Lok Sabha 2024 - (Winning Margin = 77229)
* He has served as the member in the following committees
* Parliamentary Consultative Committee, Ministry of Finance
* Parliamentary Committee on Absence of Members from the sittings of the House
* Parliamentary Committee on Commerce
* Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs and its Sub-Committee on Personnel Policy of Central Para-Military Forces
* Union Minister of State for Drinking Water & Sanitation 2016
See also
* Members of Fourteenth Lok Sabha
External links
Ramesh Jigajinagi's home page on Lok Sabha's Website
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jigajinagi, Ramesh
1952 births
Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Karnataka
Living people
India MPs 1998–1999
India MPs 1999–2004
India MPs 2004–2009
India MPs 2009–2014
People from Bijapur district, Karnataka
Lok Sabha members from Karnataka
India MPs 2014–2019
Janata Dal politicians
Janata Dal (United) politicians
Lok Janshakti Party politicians
Narendra Modi ministry
India MPs 2019–2024
Lok Shakti politicians
India MPs 2024–2029