West Bengal, May 18: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday wished former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S) supremo HD Deve Gowda on his 85th birthday. Gowda was the 11th Prime Minister of India and held office from 1996 to 1997. Prior to this, he was serving as the 14th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1994 to 1996.

He is also a member of the 16th Lok Sabha and represents the Hassan constituency of Karnataka. Gowda, a son of paddy farmer, was born in Haradanahalli, a village in Holenarasipura taluk. Recently, he played a huge role in the Karnataka Elections, as his party, JD-S was a key player in the state assembly elections held on May 15.

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