Siddanagouda Patil, pro-Kannada activist and former Mayor of Belagavi city corporation, died in Belagavi on Wednesday. He was 92.
He was the first Kannada speaker to be elected as the Mayor of the city in 1991. Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti and other pro-Marathi groups had been ruling over the city corporation since the 1950s. Even today, the elections to the city corporation are fought on the basis of language and not political affiliations.
He organised Kannada groups and led a campaign to elect Kannada speaking members to the city corporation. He served as a member of the corporation from 1984 to 1996.
He also served the district central cooperative bank as director for three terms. The State government honoured him with the Karnataka Rajyotsava award in 2008.
He remained active in various movements led by Kannada associations in the district and in other north Karnataka districts.
