Karnataka incumbent Minister and four-time MLA D. Sudhakar passed away during the early hours of Sunday at the age of 66.
The minister died after battling a prolonged illness while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru for a lung infection over the last month.
D. Sudhakar was the Planning and Statistics Minister of Karnataka. He was a senior Congress leader and MLA from Hiriyur in Chitradurga district.
In a bulletin, Dr R Chinnadurai, Medical Director of Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, "Honourable Minister Mr Sudhakar D, 66 years old, was declared dead at 3:15 AM on 10.05.2026 in Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Electronic City."
ಅನಾರೋಗ್ಯದಿಂದ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ನಮ್ಮ ಸಂಪುಟ ಸಹೋದ್ಯೋಗಿ, ನನ್ನ ಆತ್ಮೀಯ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ ಡಿ. ಸುಧಾಕರ್ ಅವರು ಇಂದು ಕೊನೆಯುಸಿರೆಳೆದ ಸುದ್ದಿ ಅತೀವ ದುಃಖವನ್ನುಂಟು ಮಾಡಿದೆ.
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) May 10, 2026
ಹಿರಿಯೂರು ಶಾಸಕರು, ಚಿತ್ರದುರ್ಗ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಉಸ್ತುವಾರಿ ಸಚಿವರು ಹಾಗೂ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಯೋಜನೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸಾಂಖ್ಯಿಕ ಸಚಿವರಾಗಿದ್ದ ಡಿ. ಸುಧಾಕರ್ ಅವರು ಜನಪರ ಕಾಳಜಿಯುಳ್ಳ… pic.twitter.com/GFngq5BAYt
Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar expressed his grief over the passing of his colleague on X, saying, “The passing away today of our cabinet colleague D. Sudhakar, who was undergoing treatment for illness and was also a close associate, has caused immense grief. As the Hiriyuru legislator, Chitradurga district in-charge minister, and state planning and statistics minister, D. Sudhakar was a leader with a deep concern for the people. Known as the benefactor of the poor, whenever he came to meet me, he would invariably bring along a plea regarding one or the other development work in the constituency. That quality of his reflected his boundless love for the people of the constituency,”
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also expressed his grief on X, recalling his visits to the hospital, saying, “Sudhakar was a person with immense care and dedication toward public service. Individuals like him should have remained among the people for much longer. Despite the doctors' continuous efforts and all our prayers, today Sudhakar has left us. This is an extremely painful moment. I pray to God that the departed soul attains eternal peace, and that his family and admirers find the strength to bear this sorrow.”
ನಮ್ಮ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಯೋಜನೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸಾಂಖ್ಯಿಕ ಸಚಿವರು, ಹಿರಿಯ ನಾಯಕರು ಆಗಿದ್ದ ಡಿ.ಸುಧಾಕರ್ ಅವರ ಅಕಾಲಿಕ ನಿಧನದಿಂದ ದುಃಖಿತನಾಗಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಕಳೆದ ಕೆಲವು ದಿನಗಳಿಂದ ಅನಾರೋಗ್ಯ ನಿಮಿತ್ತ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗೆ ದಾಖಲಾಗಿ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ನಾನು ಖುದ್ದು ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗೆ ಭೇಟಿನೀಡಿ ಸುಧಾಕರ್ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ ನೀಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ವೈದ್ಯರಿಂದ… pic.twitter.com/2OO7VvWLrs
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) May 10, 2026
D Sudhakar was elected MLA for the first time in 2004 from Challakere on a Congress ticket. After delimitation, he moved to Hiryur after being denied a ticket by Congress. He contested as an independent and won the race in 2008.
He was first the Minister of Social Welfare after he declared support for BS Yediyurappa during his term .
He was re-elected once again from the Congress Party in 2013.
He lost to Poornima Srinivas, who contested as a BJP candidate in the 2018 elections. He was re-elected to Congress in 2023 and became the Minister of Statistics and Planning.
