V. Dhananjay Kumar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism | |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Preceded by | Ghulam Nabi Azad |
| Succeeded by | C. M. Ibrahim |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 1991–2004 | |
| Preceded by | Janardhana Poojary |
| Succeeded by | D. V. Sadananda Gowda |
| Constituency | Mangalore and Madikeri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Venur Dhananjay Kumar Alva 4 July 1951 Venur, Karnataka |
| Died | 4 March 2019 (aged 67) Mangalore |
| Political party | Indian National Congress[1] |
| Other political affiliations | Bharatiya Janata Party Janata Dal (Secular)[2] |
| Spouse | Vanitha D Kumar |
| Children | 2, Pavithra V, Parinith Kumar Alva |
| Residence | Bangalore |
Venur Dhananjay Kumar Alva (4 July 1951 – 4 March 2019) was a former Union and Cabinet minister of India and a former Member of Parliament from Mangalore. He was cabinet minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism in 1996, Union Minister of State for Finance from 1999 to 2000 and Union Minister of State for Textiles from 2000 to 2003. He was also one of the first few BJP MPs to be elected from south India, at a time when the Congress party's reach was at its peak.
Kumar went on to represent the Mangalore constituency in the Lok Sabha for four successive terms. Earlier in 1983, he was elected as a BJP MLA from Mangalore City assembly constituency comfortably defeating sitting MLA from Congress, P. F. Rodrigues, even before he became an MP. Being a staunch loyalist of former Chief Minister of Karnataka B. S. Yeddyurappa, he was elected as the president of the new Karnataka Janata Party. He was the Special representative of the Government of Karnataka to the Union Government in New Delhi.[3]
- ^ "Dhananjaya Kumar joins Cong". The Hindu. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
- ^ "Dhananjaya Kumar Joins JD(S)". The New Indian Express. 17 March 2014.
- ^ "BSY's close lieutenant Dhananjay Kumar to head new party". Jagran Post.