India, July 14 -- Senior BJP leader and former Karnataka minister Ramachandra Gowda passed away at the age of 88 in a private hospital in Bengaluru after a prolonged illness. A prominent figure in Karnataka politics for over five decades, Gowda served as a Member of the Karnataka Legislative Council (MLC) for multiple terms and held several key ministerial portfolios, including Medical Education, Science and Technology, and Sericulture.

Gowda began his political journey with the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and later became one of the BJP's senior-most leaders in Karnataka. Over the years, he played an important role in strengthening the party's organisational structure and also served as Deputy Chairman of the Karnataka State Planning Board. In...