D.V. Sadananda Gowda, who took oath as Cabinet Minister on Monday, began his career as a lawyer.
Born in 1953 to Venkappa Gowda and Kamala, Mr. Gowda hails from the Devaragunda family of Mandekolu village, Sullia taluk in Dakshina Kannada.
After graduating in science from St. Philomina College, Puttur, he obtained a law degree from the Udupi Vaikunta Baliga College of Law.
In 1976, he began practising law both at Sullia and Puttur and worked as Public Prosecutor at Sirsi, Uttara Kannada. . He started his political career as a member of the erstwhile Jana Sangh. He was elected to the Assembly from Puttur in 1994 and again in 1999. During his second term he became the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Gowda shot to fame after he led a three-day, 90 km “padayatra” from Sullia to Mangalore in December 2001 seeking minimum support price for white arecanut when its prices fell drastically.
Mr. Gowda was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from the erstwhile Dakshina Kannada constituency including Kodagu, in 2004 and from Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency in 2009. He currently represents the Bangalore North constituency in the Lok Sabha.
