Shivanand Koujalagi, former minister and former MP, no more
Former Karnataka minister and ex‑Member of Parliament Shivanand Koujalagi has died. A veteran politician, he was initially a close associate of former chief minister Ramakrishna Hegde. Following the fragmentation of the Janata Parivar, he aligned himself with H.D. Deve Gowda’s faction. His death marks the passing of a long‑standing figure in state politics in Karnataka after a brief illness.