The 92-year-old veteran politician was ailing for quite some time, a family source said. After a long stint in the Congress, Krishna joined the BJP towards the fag end of his political career.

Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna, who served as the Minister of External Affairs from 2009 to 2012, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 92. S M Krishna served as the chief minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004, and was credited with transforming Bengaluru into the Silicon Valley of India.

In March 2017, he became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), thereby concluding his almost half-century-long affiliation with the Congress. In January 2023, Krishna declared his retirement from active politics, attributing it to his advancing age.

SM Krishna served as the Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004, during which he was instrumental in transforming Bengaluru into a global IT hub.

Mangaluru: Former chief minister and former external affairs minister Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna died here early on Tuesday, leaving behind a rich legacy of statesmanship and public service

Preparations underway to carry out the last rites at the residence of Former Karnataka CM SM Krishna in Bengaluru on 11. His mortal remains were being taken to Maddur, his native place, for the last rites.

Former Chief Minister and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna's last rites will be performed with full state honors in his ancestral village, Somanahalli, on Wednesday. The public can pay their respects as the procession travels from Bengaluru.