BENGALURU: Davanagere South MLA and former minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa passed away at 6.20pm at Sparsh Hospital, Bengaluru. He was 94.
Hospital Chairman Dr Sharan Shivaraj Patil told TNIE that Shivashankarappa was admitted on October 23 with a severe lung infection and renal failure. He had complained of severe breathlessness and had been on continuous oxygen support ever since. “He developed multi-organ failure and breathed his last this evening,” he said.
For months, the veteran leader -- India’s oldest sitting legislator -- had been battling frail health, moving in and out of hospital. He was treated by a multidisciplinary team of pulmonologists, nephrologists, urologists, cardiologists, physicians and intensivists.
TNIE had visited him twice during his hospitalisation, where the man revered as ‘Appaji’ still commanded the room with quiet authority. His last rites will be held at 5pm Monday in Davanagere. Thousands of people are expected to attend the veteran leader’s funeral.
As the all-powerful National President of the Akhil Bharat Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha, six-time MLA, one-time MP, former minister and long-serving Pradesh Congress treasurer, Shivashankarappa strode the political sphere for over half a century. Widely regarded as the ‘supreme leader’ of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha, Shivashankarappa remained politically relevant well into his nineties.
He wielded influence that cut across party lines and generations. Born in Davanagere into a modest family, Shivashankarappa scripted a rise few could rival. His imprint extended far beyond politics. Through the Bapuji Educational Association, he transformed Davanagere, once known as the ‘Manchester of Karnataka’, into a major education hub, founding engineering and medical colleges that reshaped the district.