Jagadish Shivappa Shettar, born on December 17, 1955, is best known for his tenure as the 15th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 2012 to 2013. Currently, he serves as a Member of Parliament Belagavi. Over his extensive career, Shettar has held various key positions, including the Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Leader of the Opposition. Jagadish Shettar and Smt. Mangala Angadi(former MP Belagavi) are related because Mangala Angadi’s daughter, Shradhha, is Shettar’s daughter-in-law, having married Jagadish Shettar’s son.
Early Life and Education
Shettar was born in Kerur village, Badami taluk, Bijapur district (now part of Bagalkot), in the erstwhile Mysore State. His political lineage can be traced back to his father, Shivappa Shettar, a senior activist of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), and the first Mayor of Hubli-Dharwad from the party. Jagadish’s uncle, Sadashiv Shettar, was the first BJS leader in South India to be elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1967.
Jagadish Shettar holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Law degree. Before entering full-time politics, he practiced law for 20 years at the Hubli Bar. He is married to Shilpa, and they have two sons, Prashant and Sankalp. Shettar belongs to the Lingayat community.
Political Career
Jagadish Shettar’s political career began within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), following in the footsteps of his father and uncle. His rise in Karnataka politics was marked by his unanimous election as the Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 2008 after the BJP’s victory in the state assembly elections. However, he resigned from this post in 2009 to join B.S. Yeddyurappa’s cabinet as the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
Chief Minister of Karnataka
In July 2012, Shettar’s political career peaked when he was chosen to replace D.V. Sadananda Gowda as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. His tenure lasted until May 2013. Despite being declared the BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2013 assembly elections, the party failed to retain power, leading to his resignation.
Post Chief Ministership
After the BJP’s defeat in the 2013 elections, Shettar was elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party and served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
Cabinet Minister
On August 20, 2019, Shettar was inducted as the Cabinet Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries, excluding sugar and the Public Enterprise department, in the BJP government led by B.S. Yediyurappa. He declared his decision not to be part of any future cabinets after the resignation of Yediyurappa and the dissolution of the cabinet.
Resignation from BJP and Joining Congress
In a surprising turn of events, Shettar resigned from the BJP and his legislative assembly seat on April 16, 2023, after being denied a ticket for the upcoming assembly election. He subsequently joined the Indian National Congress in the presence of prominent INC leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Siddaramaiah, and contested the elections from Hubli-Dharwad Central. However, he lost to BJP’s Mahesh Tenginakai by a margin of 35,000 votes, ending his three-decade-long representation of the constituency.
Return to BJP and Current Position
On January 25, 2024, Shettar returned to the BJP after a brief nine-month stint with the Congress. In March 2024, he was announced as the BJP candidate for the Belagavi constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and he won it with a thumping margin of 1.75 lakhs.