Tue Dec 10 09:28:45 UTC 2024: ## Former Karnataka CM and Union Minister S.M. Krishna Passes Away at 92
**Bengaluru, India:** Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna, former Chief Minister of Karnataka and Union Minister of External Affairs, passed away at his Bengaluru residence at 2:45 AM today, his family announced. He was 92. Krishna, who had been ailing for some time, breathed his last at home.
A veteran politician, Krishna began his career as an independent MLA in 1962, representing Maddur. He later joined the Praja Socialist Party before becoming a prominent member of the Indian National Congress, where he served for nearly 50 years. In March 2017, he switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He resigned from the Congress in January 2017, citing the party’s uncertainty about the need for experienced leaders. He retired from active politics in January 2023, citing his age.
His political career spanned several decades, including a stint as Chief Minister of Karnataka and a significant role as the Union Minister of External Affairs in the UPA government. The Samajwadi Party (SP) expressed its condolences on social media, mourning his loss and offering sympathies to his family, which includes his wife Prema and two daughters.
Krishna’s body will be taken to Maddur today for public viewing.
First Piper 