Vedavyasa Srinivasa Acharya (6 July 1940 – 14 February 2012)[1] was an Indian senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka.

He was elected as a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Udupi constituency in 1983 and was the floor leader of the BJP Legislature party.

In the BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government headed by H.D.Kumaraswamy, he was Cabinet minister for Medical Education with additional charge of Animal Husbandry.

[5] Following the historic victory of the BJP in Karnataka in the 2008 state assembly elections, he was appointed the Home minister in the Yeddyurappa government.

[7] Acharya was one of the most senior leaders of the BJP in Karnataka and as such, played an important role in the growth of the party in the state.

He was president of the Dakshina Kannada district unit of the Jana Sangh (1974–77), Janata Party (1977–80) and BJP (1980–83).

Known for his honesty, simplicity, dedication, wit and hard work, the soft-spoken Acharya was widely respected in the BJP and across party lines.