• In 1987, AnanthKumar joined the Bharatiya Janata Party having served in various capacities in ABVP. Soon after his joining the BJP he was entrusted the responsibility of – State Secretary. The Bharatiya Janata Party recognized his capabilities, performance and commitment and he quickly rose in the BJP Karnataka unit as , State President of BJP Yuva Morcha and then the General Secretary
• 1989 to 1994, saw the rise of the party in Karnataka. From a humble count of 2 seats & 2% of the votes polled in 1989, to an impressive tally of 36 seats & a vote share of 28%, in 1994 was a testimony to the team in Karnataka BJP.
• In 1995, he was entrusted the responsibility of the National Secretary of the BJP
• 1996 was a turning point in his political career. His first stint in an electoral battle was contesting from the prestigious Bangalore South constituency. He not only won the Lok Sabha elections, but also won the hearts of the people of Bangalore.
• He got re-elected, in 1998, with a thumping margin of over 1,80,000 votes. This showed the enhanced confidence, the people of the city of Bangalore reposed on him.
• In 1998 AnanthKumar became the youngest cabinet Minister in Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Council of Ministers when he was just 38. Ananth was allocated the Civil Aviation portfolio. He was later entrusted with the additional portfolio of the Tourism Ministry.
• 1999 saw him being re-elected to the Lok Sabha and he was made Cabinet Minister again and handled various diverse Ministries such as Culture, Youth Affairs & Sports, Tourism & Culture, Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation. During this last stint before he assumed the responsibility of the Presidentship of BJP, Karnataka, he was also given additional responsibility of the Rural Development Ministry.
• The above experience enhanced his contributions at the national level & every Ministry he headed, saw a record growth in profitability & public reach.
•His contributions were marked by three sterling qualities,
- Quick Grasp
- Persistence & hard work
- Pro-people decisions
•His return to the State BJP as President in 2003 saw a resurgence in the Party in Karnataka as never before and he led the Party to a record win in 18 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats and as the single largest party in the State Assembly with 79 seats in 2004. This enabled Karnataka to become the ‘Gateway in the South’ for the BJP to come to power.
•In 2004 he was re-elected for a record fourth term from the prestigious Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency. He was elevated to the position of National General Secretary of the BJP and was made in charge of the Party for Chattisgarh and then,subsequently, Madhya Pradesh
•In 2005, he was assigned to the Assembly elections in Jharkhand under the leadership of Shri Rajnath Singh which saw the return of the NDA to power in the State
•He is currently Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal & Steel
•Even his political opponents have publicly acknowledged that when it comes to issues concerning the welfare of the people, especially with respect to Karnataka, AnanthKumar has always led from the front, whether it was the Cauvery issue or the Krishna Waters dispute, the Kalasa-Banduri issue or issues concerning the farmers, drought & flood affected people.
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