About

Krishna Byre Gowda (born 4 April 1973) is the current Minister of Agriculture for State,Government of Karnataka (Independent Incharge) and Member of Legislative Assembly of the Byatarayanapura Constituency, in office since June 2008. Born in Bangalore, Krishna is a graduate from the American University in Washington and Christ College in Bangalore. He was a project associate at the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington before earning his M.A. degree. He then worked as an agriculturalist at his family-owned farm in Kolar district between 2000 and 2002. In 2003, he again worked as a project associate at Development Alternatives, Inc. He has served three times as an M.L.A. of Karnataka state, twice from Vemegal in Kolar district from 2003 to 2007, and from 2008 to 2013 from the Byatarayanapura Constituency in Bengaluru.

Krishna has served as the President of the Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress between 2007 and 2011, and is currently holds the office of General Secretary of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, since 2012.

Early life
Krishna Byre Gowda was born in Bangalore, Karnataka, to C. Byre Gowda and Savithramma. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Christ College, now known as Christ University, in Bangalore in 1994. He then graduated with a master's degree (M.A) from the School of International Service, at American University in Washington, D.C. in 1999.

Career
Krishna Byre Gowda worked as a project associate at Development Alternatives Inc., in Washington, D.C..

DAI's mission is to make a difference in the world by helping societies and economies become more prosperous, fairer and more just, safer, more stable, more efficient, and better governed .

As a project associate at DAI, Krishna worked on several projects to do with development issues and ways to solve them.

Political career
He began his political career in 2003, when his father and Janata Dal (United) leader C. Byre Gowda died. Mr. C. Byre Gowda was a senior legislator and cabinet minister of Karnataka state, having served as an M.L.A. for five consequent terms. He was agriculture minister from 1996 to 1999 in the cabinet of chief minister J.H. Patel. In October 2003, Krishna contested and won the by-election to fill his late father's legislative assembly seat from Vemagal, Kolar District, to become one of the youngest members of the Karnataka legislature.

In April 2004, Krishna Byre Gowda left the Janata Dal political party to join the Indian National Congress and won the Vemagal, Karnataka legislative assembly seat.

Krishna Byre Gowda became president of the Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee in November 2007.

In 2008 Krishna Byre Gowda chose to compete for the urban Byatarayanapura constituency in Bangalore and won the election with 43 percent of the votes, defeating A. Ravi of the Bharatiya Janata Party with a margin of 9,352 votes.

Since then Krishna has focused on addressing problems unique to urban residents like bad roads, traffic congestion, drainage problems and uncleared garbage.

Krishna lost the general election in 2009 for the Bangalore South (Lok Sabha constituency) in the Indian general election, 2009 to Ananth Kumar of BJP.

Krishna Byre Gowda has been elected as a minister in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's Cabinet on 18 May 2013, at a very young age of 40.

Personal life
Krishna Byre Gowda is married to Meenakshi.

Positions held
Minister of State forAgriculture,(Independent In Charge), Government of Karnataka, May 2013 - Current
President, Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress, 2007-March 2011
Member of the Legislative Assembly Byatarayanapura, Bangalore, 2008-Current
Member of the Legislative Assembly, Vemagal, Kolar District, Karnataka, 2003–2004,2004–2007
Project Associate, Development Alternatives Inc. Washington, D.C., 2003
Operated self-owned agricultural farm in Bangalore, 2000–02
Project Associate, Ethiopian Embassy, Washington,D.C., 1998–99