Congress banking on youth

Karnataka's Rahul Gandhi is Krishne Byre Gowda

In 1994, a young lad graduated out of Christ College with a degree in business management. At the graduation ceremony, he sang the song, 'Papa kehte hain bada naam karega'. And the audience howled in praise. It was an emotional moment, for the lad as well as the gathering. From that moment on, Krishne Byre Gowda never looked back.

Krishna Byre Gowda went on to graduate with a master's degree (M.A) from the School of International Service, at the American University in Washington, D.C. in 1999.

Later he gave up his position as a project associate at Development Alternatives Inc., in Washington, D.C., to begin his political career in 2003, when his father and Janata Dal leader C. Byre Gowda died. In October that year, he contested and won the by-election to fill his late father's legislative assembly seat from Vemagal, Kolar District, to become one of the youngest members of the Karnataka legislature.

In April 2004, he joined the Congress, and became president of the Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee in November 2007. In 2008 he won the Byatarayanapura assembly seat defeating A. Ravi of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Since then Byre Gowda has focused on addressing problems unique to urban residents like bad roads, traffic congestion, drainage problems and uncleared garbage.

Young, handsome, articulate, educated and IT savvy, Krishne Byre Gowda is the Congress' choice from Bangalore south LS constituency and is heavily banking on the youth vote to make it.