H D Deve Gowda

H D Deve Gowda was the eleventh Prime Minister of India. He was born on May 18, 1933 at Haradanahalli village in Karnataka.

A civil engineer, Gowda joined the Congress Party and was elected to the Karnataka State Assembly in 1962. He left Congress in 1969 and joined the Janata Party. He played a large part in forming Janata Dal, when the original group splintered.

Soon, he was elected as the 14th Chief Minister of Karnataka in December, 1994. Deve Gowda resigned the position on May 30, 1996, to be sworn in as the prime minister.