| Ramesh Jigajinagi | |
| Birth Date: | 28 June 1952 |
| Birth Place: | Atharga, Bombay State (now in Karnataka), India |
| Residence: | Bijapur, Karnataka, Karnataka |
| Term Start1: | 5 July 2016 |
| Term End1: | 30 May 2019 |
| Primeminister1: | Narendra Modi |
| 1Blankname1: | Minsiter |
| 1Namedata1: | |
| Predecessor1: | Birender Singh |
| Successor1: | Jal Shakti[1] |
| Term Start2: | 2009 |
| Term Start3: | 1998 |
| Term End3: | 2009 |
| Constituency3: | Chikkodi, Karnataka |
| Office4: | Minister for Revenue Government of Karnataka |
| Term Start4: | 1996 |
| Term End4: | 1998 |
| Office5: | Minister for Social Welfare Government of Karnataka |
| Term Start5: | 1996 |
| Term End5: | 1998 |
| Office6: | Minister for Excise Government of Karnataka |
| Term Start6: | 1984 |
| Term End6: | 1985 |
| Office7: | Minister for Home Government of Karnataka |
| Term Start7: | 1983 |
| Term End7: | 1985 |
| Term Start8: | 1994 |
| Term End8: | 1998 |
| Predecessor8: | Manohar Umakant Ainapur |
| Successor8: | HR Algur |
| Constituency8: | Ballolli |
| Term Start9: | 1983 |
| Term End9: | 1989 |
| Predecessor9: | Siddharth Sangappa Arakeri |
| Successor9: | Manohar Umakant Ainapur |
| Constituency9: | Ballolli |
| Party: |
|
| Spouse: | Shobha |
| Children: | 2 sons |
| Date: | 23 September |
| Year: | 2006 |
| Source: | http://164.100.24.208/ls/lsmember/biodata.asp?mpsno=170 |
Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi (born 28 June 1952) is an Indian politician from Karnataka and currently a member of Lok Sabha.[2] He was Union Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation in 2016. He was member of the Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth and Sixteenth Lok Sabha. He was inducted into PM, Narendra Modi's government as a Minister of State for Drinking Water & Sanitation on July 5, 2016. He represents the Bijapur constituency (2019-2024) and is currently a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party which he joined in 2002. He has also been a member of Janata Dal and Ramakrishna Hegde's Vedike Party and Ram Vilas Paswan's Jan Shakti Party in 2001 when Hegde was planning to retire.
Ramesh Jigajinagi was born on 28 June 1952 in Atharga village of Bijapur District in Karnataka to Chandappa and Bhoramma Jigajinagi. He married Shoba and has two sons, Vinod and Anand, both businessmen. He completed his B.A from BLDEA's New Arts College, Bijapur and later earned his master's degree.[3] Ramesh is a dalit and hails from a Scheduled Caste community.
He has been able to retain support in northern Karnataka, even after switching parties. His electoral victory is significant, contesting and winning his seat against B. Shankaranand of the Indian National Congress'. Ramesh entered the 12th Lok Sabha with a margin of 1,31,238 votes.[4]
Initially, he joined the undivided Janata Dal under the mentorship of Ramakrishna Hegde Sir. He remained in the Janatha Dal and was a staunch supporter of Ramakrishna Hegde. When Ramakrishna Hegde floated the Rashtreeya Nava Nirmana Vedike, he was among the earliest sitting MLAs to support him and join the new party by resigning his ministership. Later, he joined Lok Shakti, a party formed by Ramakrishna Hegde and rejoined Janata Dal United after the merger of Lok Shakti with the former. After the death of his mentor, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was elected as MP for five times without a break.[5]
He was elected as an MP for the first time in 1996 from Chikkodi, a constituency reserved from SC community, on Lok Shakti ticket. In 1998, he won again on Janata Dal ticket and on BJP ticket in 2004, both from Chikkodi. Later, he returned to Bijapur, his native after Chikkodi became an unreserved seat. From then on he won the Bijapur SC seat, which is now Vijayapura.