IIM-B Prof Rajeev Gowda gets Congress nomination for RS Polls

M V Rajeev Gowda, 50, Professor of Economics and Social Sciences at Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B), has been nominated by the Indian National Congress for a Rajya Sabha seat from Karnataka.

Gowda is a member of the AICC team of Spokespersons. Gowda, who wanted to contest the Lok Sabha elections, had recently lost the Congress primaries for Bangalore North constituency. C Narayanaswamy had won the primaries and contested Lok Sabha elections on April 17 unsuccessfully.

“I am thankful to the Congress for giving me an opportunity to serve Bangalore, Karnataka and India. Creating opportunities for the youth, making ‘Namma Railu’ (Circular rail for Bangalore) a reality and safety of women are high on my agenda. Through this nomination, I will work hard to serve my people and give back maximum to the state and the city I grew up in and be a part of a constructive opposition in Parliament," Gowda said in a statement.

Gowda is a son of former Legislative Assembly Speaker M V Venkatappa. The Congress has enough strength to win at least two seats in the Rajya Sabha elections. Today is the last day to file nominations.
 
A Ph.D. from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA (1985-92), Prof. Gowda is an expert in Public Policy & Management. With Post Graduate in Economics, from Fordham University, USA, 1984-85, he has on ground experience in the field of political and economic risk analysis.
 
Gowda is a firm believer in a decentralised political system with a more transparent electoral process. He is a Professor of Economics and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and a Director on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India.

 
This varied academic and financial background, makes him an ideal political intellectual who wants to understand the Indian political system and how people and societies manage risk-related conflicts.
 
For the past decade, Prof Gowda has undertaken several political roles and responsibilities. As a Congressman, he launched the Congress party’s younger generation election campaign nationally in Guwahati, 2004 and today he is the National Spokesperson of All India Congress Committee. To strengthen the support base of the Congress online, Prof. Gowda has co-founded and run a pro-Congress blog site: hamaracongress.com
 
At the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, he is the official Spokesperson and Member of the Manifesto Committee (2013-present). He was the Chairman of the BBMP Election Manifesto Drafting Committee, 2010 and an Ex-Convenor, VicharVibhag.  As part of the Karnataka Congress ChinthanManthan, he organized “Youth and Politics” function in Mysore to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the Congress Party and delivered speech on “Changing India and Implications for Congress”.