Bengaluru:  N. Dharam Singh, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, passed away here on Thursday morning at a private hospital following a heart attack. He was 80.

He was the 17th Chief Minister of the state. He headed the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government from May 2004 to February 2006.

Born on December 25, 1936, at Nelogi village of Jewargi taluk in Kalaburagi district, Dharam Singh represented the Karnataka Legislative Assembly seven times without a defeat and was a member of the Lok Sabha from Bidar constituency once (2009).

Mr. Singh, a seasoned politician, was known for his gentle demeanour and knew each voter by name in his constituency - Jewargi, which he nurtured from 1978 to 2008. Though he belonged to small community, he won the loyalty of voters going beyond caste affiliations.

He has served as a minister under various Chief Minsters – Devaraj Urs, R. Gundu Rao, S. Bangarappa, M. Veerappa Moily and S.M. Krishna. He handled many portfolios such as home, excise, social welfare, urban development, public works, and revenue. He also served as the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.

Owing to hung Assembly after the 2004 elections, the Congress joined hands with the JD(S) headed by former Prime Minster H.D. Deve Gowda and formed the coalition government. Mr. Singh was the unanimous choice of both parties to head the government. For 20 months, he led the coalition government, which saw many ups and downs. Later, the Dharam Singh government collapsed following the withdrawal of support by the JD(S). The JD (S) joined hands with BJP and formed another coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy for another 20 months.