R. Ashoka

R. Ashoka
R. Ashoka
	R. Ashoka in 2020
Leader of the Opposition; Karnataka Legislative Assembly
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 17 November 2023
Chief Minister	Siddaramaiah
Preceded by	B. S. Bommai (Acting)
Minister of Revenue; Government of Karnataka
	In office; 20 August 2019 – 13 May 2023
Chief Minister	B. S. Yediyurappa; Basavaraj Bommai
Preceded by	R. V. Deshpande
Minister of Municipal Administration; Government of Karnataka
	In office; 27 September 2019 – 10 February 2020
Chief Minister	B. S. Yediyurappa
Preceded by	R. Shankar
Succeeded by	Narayana Gowda
Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka
	In office; 12 July 2012 – 13 May 2013 Serving with K. S. Eshwarappa
Preceded by	B. S. Yediyurappa
Succeeded by	G. Parameshwara
Minister of Home Affairs; Government of Karnataka
	In office; 23 September 2010 – 13 May 2013
Chief Minister 2024	B. S. Yediyurappa; Sadananda Gowda; Jagadish Shettar
Preceded by	V. S. Acharya
Succeeded by	K. J. George
Minister of Transport; Government of Karnataka
	In office; 30 May 2008 – 13 May 2013
Chief Minister	B. S. Yediyurappa; Sadananda Gowda; Jagadish Shettar
Preceded by	N. Chaluvaraya Swamy
Succeeded by	Ramalinga Reddy
Minister of Health & Family Welfare; Government of Karnataka
	In office; 18 February 2006 – 8 October 2007
Chief Minister	H. D. Kumaraswamy
Preceded by	N. Chaluvaraya Swamy
Succeeded by	B. Sriramulu
Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; May 2008
Preceded by	Seat established
Constituency	Padmanaba Nagar
	In office; 1998–2008
Preceded by	M. Srinivas
Succeeded by	Seat disestablished
Constituency	Uttarahalli
Personal details
Born	1 July 1957 (age 67); Jalahalli, Mysore State, India
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse	Pramilarani (m. 1987)
Residence	Bangalore
Education	Bachelor of Science
Website	rashoka.in

Ramaiah Ashoka^[2] (born 1 July 1957) is an Indian politician who served as the 6th Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka.^[3]^[4] He is now currently serving as Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly (2023-), previously served as the Deputy Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly (2014 -2018), Minister of Revenue, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Transport under the BJP government.^[5] He has also served as the Minister of Health and Family Welfare under the coalition government of BJP and JDS.^[6] He is a Seven-time MLA for Padmanabhanagar Assembly Constituency (before Delimitation Uttarahalli assembly constituency).

Early political career

During Emergency (1975–77), he was arrested and detained in prison along with veteran leaders like L.K. Advani at the Central Jail in Bengaluru. He was first elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in the 1997 by-Elections from Uttarahalli, which was the biggest state legislature constituency in India before delimitation. He was re-elected from the same constituency in 1999 and 2004 Assembly elections with impressive margins. In the 2004 elections, he won by a margin of 84,001 votes which is the highest in any Karnataka Assembly election.^[7]

Positions held

In 2008, he became the Minister of Health and family welfare in the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (Secular) (BJP-JD(S)) coalition government. As a minister, he implemented novel schemes and also streamlined the administration of the department.^[8]

As Minister of Transport in the Yeddyurappa Government from 2008 onwards, he was instrumental in modernizing the department and also using innovative hi-tech methods to automate the working of the department.^[9]

When Jagadish Shettar became Chief Minister in June 2012, Ashoka was appointed one of the two Deputy chief ministers and entrusted with the ministries of Home and Transport in the Government of Karnataka.^[10]^[11]^[12]

Ashoka is regarded as one of the most influential leaders of the BJP in Bangalore city and has steered the party to historic victories in the 2010 and 2015 BBMP elections.^[13]^[14]^[15]

On 26 August 2019, Ashoka was appointed the Revenue Minister in Karnataka government excluding Muzrai.^[16]^[17]