Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SHP)
With Inputs from Media Release
Mangaluru, Jun 13: Dakshina Kannada BJP vice president Harikrishna Bantwal has been appointed by the state government as the chairman of Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (KEONICS) as per the order issued on Friday June 12.
Son of Babu Poojary, an agriculturist and Chennamma, Harikrishna was born into a well-known Billava family of Bantwal on February 18, 1951.
He did his schooling from the renowned SVS School, Bantwal and graduated from Madras University in the year 1993.
Harikrishna who is also an agriculturist and a businessman by profession is married to Shashikala J. The couple has a son together, Nithya Prakash.
Harikrishna has had a long political journey which began as an RSS activist in the year 1972 at the young age of 21. In the same year, he also became a head shikshak of RSS Bantwal Unit and then bhoudik pramukh in 1974. In the year 1980, he also served as the general secretary of Dakshina Kannada BJP.
He also successfully completed his RSS - ITC and OTC courses in 1973 and 1974.
His skills got him appointed as a secretary of Jana Sangha, Bantwal zone.
On June 25, 1975, when the Emergency rule was enforced Harikrishna became the mass leader of Satyagraha in Bantwal Region against the Emergency and also served time in jail for one week.
The following year 1976, he was again arrested and imprisoned for two months for the same reason. At the end of 1976, he got arrested under MISA Act and sent back to prison for 10 months.
In 1977, when the Jana Sangha became the Janata Party, he served as a secretary for Dakshina Kannada district. In 1980 when Bharatiya Janata Party was officially established, Harikrishna became a full-time activist for the party. However, in 1982 due to some internal conflicts he left Bharatiya Janatha Party and joined Congress Party and gradually grew as a spokesperson of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and the general secretary of Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee.
From 1982 until 2017, he served as an active member of the National Congress Party and held the important positions in the party: From 1982-1985 he served in the Bantwal Block Congress Committee, as a general secretary, 1985-2017 he was the general secretary of the DK District Congress Committee, from 1984-1985 he served as a president of Bantwal Taluk Auto Rickshaw Drivers' Association and was instrumental in solving various problems, during the year 2004-2008 Harikrishna served as a spokesperson for Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, Bengaluru, from 1982-2014 he was the main speaker for the election campaigns for all MPs, MLAs, zilla panchayats, taluk panchayat, corporation, municipality, town panchayath and gram panchayat of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. He was known to serve as the general secretary of Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee.
On November 2017, at Central Ground in Mangaluru, during the transitional phase of the Bharatiya Janata Party, at the summit with Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa, he re-joined the BJP with the help of a large number of supporters and followers.
During the 2018 MLA Elections Harikrishna worked tirelessly as the main speaker for the victory of the BJP candidates. This resulted in victory to 12 out of 13 candidates of DK and Udupi districts. He is credited with playing a vital role along with other party leaders and workers for the success of the candidates. Further during 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he was the main speaker for Nalin Kumar Kateel, the present MP of Mangaluru. Presently, Harikrishna is serving as the spokesperson of BJP for the Dakshina Kannada district.
Along with his enthusiasm towards work, he has also indulged in social activities such as delivering Upanyas at various religious programmes. Serving as an executive member and spokesperson to the renowned Kudroli Gokarnanatha temple and also playing his role as a spokesperson to Rashtriya Billava Maha Mandala, Mulki, thereby, representing the entire Billava community of the nation.