Back to Sunday
Obituaries

Chennamma, Wife of Former PM H D Deve Gowda, Passes Away at 89

By TestNeeti Editorial Team 2 min readSource: Hindustan TimesArticle 5 of 5

Chennamma Deve Gowda, wife of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, died at 89 after suffering a massive cardiac arrest at a private hospital in Bengaluru. She had been admitted to Manipal Hospital for a respiratory ailment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar condoled her death, and the state government announced full state honours. She was the mother of Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy and MLA H D Revanna. Married to Deve Gowda in 1954, she largely stayed away from the public spotlight and had survived an acid attack in February 2001.

Key Facts & Details

8 points
  • 1
    Chennamma, wife of former PM H D Deve Gowda, died at 89 in Bengaluru.
  • 2
    She suffered a massive cardiac arrest after being admitted for a respiratory ailment.
  • 3
    The Karnataka government announced full state honours.
  • 4
    She was the mother of Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy and MLA H D Revanna.
  • 5
    PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi and CM DK Shivakumar condoled her death.

Deep Dive

  • +
    She married H D Deve Gowda in 1954; the couple had four sons and two daughters.
  • +
    She survived an acid attack in February 2001 linked to a family feud.
  • +
    Deve Gowda served as India's Prime Minister (1996-97) and heads the Janata Dal (Secular).
Q

Exam Focus

Chennamma, who passed away at 89 with state honours, was the wife of which former Prime Minister?

Exam Relevance & Angle

Passings of figures connected to former Prime Ministers, with state honours, are standard obituary general-awareness items, and the family's political prominence (Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy) makes the link testable.

Target Exams

SBI POIBPS POSSC CGLSSC CHSLRRB NTPCUPSC CSEState PCS

Background & Context

H D Deve Gowda served as Prime Minister of India from 1996 to 1997 and is the patriarch of a prominent Karnataka political family that leads the Janata Dal (Secular). His son H D Kumaraswamy has been Karnataka Chief Minister and a Union Minister. State honours at a funeral typically include ceremonial elements such as a gun salute and the national flag, accorded to dignitaries and their close kin as decided by the government.

Test Yourself

1 / 2

Chennamma, who passed away at 89 with full state honours, was the wife of which former PM?

Source

Hindustan Times

This topic is important for:

SBI PO

Exam Guide Mock Test

IBPS PO

Exam Guide Mock Test

SSC CGL

Exam Guide Mock Test
Chennamma, Wife of Former PM H D Deve Gowda, Passes Away at 89 — Current Affairs 2026-07-19