Ananth Kumar: A void that would be impossible for the BJP to fill

Bengaluru, Nov 12: The country woke up the news of union minister, Ananth Kumar passing away. The 59 year old leader was battling cancer for sometime and breathed his last at around 2 am at a hospital on Monday.

Kumar, is the only MP from Karnataka who became a union minister thrice. His political journey is an interesting one. He hailed from the Brahmin community, which is around 2 per cent of the population in Karnataka. In a state like Karnataka, where caste matters, Kumar carved out his own space in national politics.

Kumar was born in a middle class family on July 22 1959. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the KS College in Hubbali. He later completed his law from the JSS college in Mysore.

A shrewd politician with a good political sense, he played a key role during the emergency period, when he was part of the ABVP. At the age of 36, he became the national secretary of the BJP.

His first major leap was when he won the MP elections from the Bengaluru South constituency at the age of 37 in the year 1996. He continued to represent the constituency without losing it five times in a row. He has been a union minister every time the BJP was in power.

In his death, the BJP has lost a tall leader and the void would be almost impossible to fill. May his soul rest in peace.