Veerendra Basappa Patil (Kannada: ವೀರೇಂದ್ರ ಪಾಟೀಲ್; 28 February 1924 – 14 March 1997)[2] was a senior Indian politician and was twice, the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
Born in a middle-class family in Chincholi in Kalaburagi district, Patil belonged to the dominant Banajiga Lingayat community.
His control over the state administration dispelled the impression that he was just a dummy for his mentor, Nijalingappa, then the president of the All India Congress Committee.
Patil went ahead with the projects even though the Central Water Commission refused to clear them, to protect the interests of the farmers of the south Karnataka region who were heavily dependent on irrigation from Cauvery.
Through the often acrimonious campaign, Patil, who was the candidate of the Janata Party, refused to indulge in personal attacks on Indira Gandhi.
[5] The twin defections of Veerendra Patil in Karnataka and Hitendra Desai in Gujarat turned around the fortunes of Congress(I), which otherwise had a spate of allegations against it.
He won Gulbarga seat in 1984 Indian general elections by defeating Vidyadhar Guruji, a former MLA from Gurmitkal.
Veerendra Patil had led the election campaign on twin promises: Water & Transport facility to every village.
[5][7] With fiscal deficit reigning high & diminishing returns, Veerendra Patil took charge at a difficult time.