Suresh Angadi: A giant killer who never lost an election

Suresh Angadi belonged to the dominant Lingayat community, who form the core electoral base of the BJP, particularly in north Karnataka.

Suresh Angadi, minister of state for railways, passed away due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Wednesday. He was 65 years old.

Born on June 1, 1955, Angadi was a Member of the Lok Sabha from Belgaum in Karnataka.

Angadi belonged to the dominant Lingayat community, who form the core electoral base of BJP, particularly in north Karnataka.

He won from Belgaum four times; in fact, Angadi never saw defeat since he first contested elections in 2004.

In his first election, he had defeated Congress candidate Amarsinh Patil, son of veteran politician and freedom fighter Vasant Rao Patil.

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Five years later, in 2009 Lok Sabha election, Angadi once again defeated Patil.

In 2014, Congress decided to field another popular leader Laxmi R Hebbalkar against Angadi but riding on the Modi wave, he defeated her too.

In the last Lok Sabha elections in 2019, Angadi defeated Congress candidate V S Sadhunnavar.

The BJP leader was born in an agricultural family in KK Koppa village near Belagavi. He graduated from the commerce stream and also pursued a course in law.

Angadi started his political career in 1996 when he was made the Belgaum district BJP vice president. In 2001, he was nominated as the Belgaum district president of BJP.

Three years after rising to the post of district president, Angadi was given ticket to contest the Lok Sabha election by the BJP. He emerged as a giant killer by defeating Congress candidate and the then sitting MP Amarsinh Patil.