M.P. Prakash (71), former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, passed away in a private hospital here on Wednesday. He is survived by wife, two daughters and a son.
He was battling cancer for over a year.
A respected political leader who was part of the Janata Parivar since its formation in 1977, Mr. Prakash crossed over to the Congress in April 2008 after falling out with the Janata Dal (Secular) leadership over the transfer of power to the BJP at the end of the first 20-month term of the coalition government.
He served as Deputy Chief Minister in the first coalition government in the State headed by N. Dharam Singh between August 2005 and January 2006.
Mr. Prakash joined the Congress along with 23 legislators, and eight out of nine of them who were given ticket to contest the May 2008 Assembly election emerged victorious.
Mr. Prakash, however, lost to G. Karunakara Reddy of the BJP in Hagaribommanhalli constituency.
He was a Minister in the Ramakrishna Hegde, S.R. Bommai, H.D. Deve Gowda, J.H. Patel, Dharam Singh and H.D. Kumaraswamy Cabinets.
The funeral is slated for Thursday at Hadagali, his hometown in Bellary district.
