Karnataka announces 3-day mourning as Ananth Kumar passes awa

Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy pays his last respects to Ananth Kumar in Bengaluru on Monday. Pics/PTI

A staunch RSS idealogue and long-time BJP member, Union Minister Ananth Kumar was the quintessential organisation man who kept Karnataka and the party as the twin focuses of his career.

The parliamentary affairs minister, who passed away early on Monday at the age of 59 after battling lung cancer for several months, was the first person to speak in Kannada in the United Nations in October 2012 and was often regarded as the Delhi face of the Karnataka BJP.

Ananth Kumar

"Kumar passed away at around 3 am at Shankara Cancer Hospital three weeks after he was admitted on return from the US on October 21," party's state unit spokesman S Shantaram said. The Karnataka government has declared a three-day mourning across the state and one-day public holiday for Monday as a mark of respect.

Kumar was a six-time MP from Bangalore South, a constituency that remained his bastion till the very end. Bengaluru's "most loved" gregarious MP was known for his political adroitness, managing to be in the inner circle of the central leadership of BJP - be it during the heyday of Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Narendra Modi now.

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