Gurupadagouda Sanganagouda Patil, four-time Congress MLA from Ron in Gadag district, was unanimously elected Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Friday. He is the 18th Speaker of the Assembly since 1972.

Popularly known as G.S. Patil, his name was proposed by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and seconded by Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara.

From a political family

The 78-year-old Mr. Patil comes from an agrarian political family. His elder brother, R.S. Patil, was a former MP who represented the Bagalkot constituency, while another brother, B.S. Patil, served as Chief Secretary of Karnataka during the S.M. Krishna government. He contested eight Assembly elections and won four. Mr. B.S. Patil was present at the officers’ gallery in the House today.

A sportsperson, the newly elected Speaker was a wicketkeeper-batsman and played for the Mysore State team. He married Annapoorna in 1974 and has two sons and a daughter. His elder son, Prashanth, is a doctor, while his other son, Mithun, is a civil engineer.

More than a dozen members spoke on Mr. Patil’s elevation as Speaker, describing him as a person who has donned many hats with equal ease. Besides being a politician, he is a farmer, educationist, sportsperson and cooperative leader.

‘Police Patil’

Mr. Patil, whose extended family is popularly known as the “Police Patil” or “Ron Gowdru” family, is the chairman of the Rajiv Gandhi Educational Institutions and is associated with various organisations in Gadag district. He has also held several positions in the cooperative sector.

Former Minister H.K. Patil, MLA from Gadag, noted that prominent personalities such as Bharat Ratna awardee and Hindustani vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, classical musician Pandit Puttaraj Gawai and his father, K.H. Patil, hailed from Gadag district. Former Indian cricketer Sunil Joshi is also from the district.

Pro-tem Speaker T.B. Jayachandra, who presided over the proceedings, declared Mr. Patil elected after a voice vote.

Amid thumping of desks by members, Mr. Shivakumar, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok, Mr. Jayachandra and Dr. Parameshwara accompanied Mr. Patil to the Speaker’s chair.

BJP boycotts

The BJP boycotted the election, protesting against the Congress high command’s decision to communicate Mr. Patil’s name on AICC letterhead. Mr. Ashok said the Speaker was elected by the Assembly and not the AICC, and appealed to Mr. Patil to discharge his duties impartially.

The post had fallen vacant following the resignation of U.T. Khader ahead of his induction into the Shivakumar-led Council of Ministers on June 3.

Perhaps for the first time, presiding officers of both Houses hail from north Karnataka.

Published - August 15, 2026 01:05 am IST