Prakash Hukkeri

Prakash Babanna Hukkeri was born on 5 March 1947 in Examba village, Chikkodi taluk, Belagavi district, Karnataka. After completing his SSLC education, Prakash Hukkeri started his career as an agriculturist and went actively involved in the local community, assuming several influential positions such as director of the Siddheswar Spinning Mill and even with the governing bodies of educational institutions, thereby paving the way to his eventual full-time politics.

Over the years, Hukkeri’s political career has taken him through many different roles in public service, the first of which was his early membership of the Karnataka Legislative Council (1988–1994), where he was also the Government Chief Whip. Following that, he became directly involved in politics and, through numerous elections, has been the chosen MLA of the Chikkodi-Sadalga constituency in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, thereby establishing a strong support base among the masses in the Belagavi region.

In 2013–2014, Hukkeri was appointed as a state minister in the Karnataka government with a diverse portfolio of Small Scale Industries, Sugar, and Endowments, among others. He soon after resigned his assembly seat only to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Chikkodi as a Congress candidate and was selected for the 16th Lok Sabha until 2019.

Subsequent to his term in Parliament, Hukkeri stayed involved in politics at the state level. He not only won the North-West Teachers’ Constituency seat but also became a Member of the Karnataka Legislative Council in June 2022, overshadowing his nearest competitor by more than 5,000 votes, thus marking a return to elected office. Even now, he is a senior voice in the Karnataka Congress and continues to address the problems related to education and development.

Till the year 2025, Prakash Hukkeri holds the positions of Karnataka MLC, State Vice-President of the Congress party in Karnataka, and a well-seasoned regional leader with strong ties to Belagavi politics.