R Ashoka- Prominent Vokkaliga face of BJP

During Emergency in India, he was imprisoned along with the BJP veteran Sri LK Advani, in Bangalore Central Jail.

Former deputy CM R Ashoka is a prominent Vokkaliga community face in BJP after DV Sadanand Gowda. He represents the Padmanabhanagar constituency of Bangalore city in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Ashoka is regarded as one of the most influential leaders of the BJP in Bangalore city and has steered the party to historic victories in the 2010 and 2015 BBMP elections.

Born and brought up in Bengaluru, Ashoka was drawn towards Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) after having graduated in Science at Vishweshwarapuram College in Bangalore where he was a Kabaddi champion. He swung into active politics by joining the Bharathiya Janatha Party. Gradually in the rungs of the ladder.

During Emergency in India, he was imprisoned along with the BJP veteran Sri LK Advani, in Bangalore Central Jail.

He entered Vidhan Soudha for the first time after winning the mid-term elections held in 1997 from the Uttarahalli assembly constituency, the largest in India with around 16 lakh voters on the list.

He also contested from the same constituency thrice and won with the highest margin among the 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka.

When Jagadish Shettar became Chief Minister in June 2012, Ashoka was appointed as one of the two Deputy chief ministers and entrusted with the ministries of Home and Transport in the Government of Karnataka

In a major relief for the leader, the Karnataka High Court stayed the FIR and further proceedings Ashoka with regard to alleged irregularities in regularisation of bagair-hukum land during 1998-2006.

OneIndia News