Doddamaralavadi, 1951.

A village south-west of Bengaluru

V. Somanna was born on 20 July 1951 in Doddamaralavadi. His Lok Sabha profile gives the place as Doddamaralavadi, Ramanagara. In 1951 there was no Ramanagara district: it was formed much later, in 2007. The area was then part of the old Bangalore district of the State of Mysore, which in 1973 was renamed Karnataka.

Census village directories list Doddamaralavadi in what is today Kanakapura taluk. Official biographies say nothing more about the village or his childhood there, so this account does not add any.

From Ramanagara to “Bengaluru South”

The administrative map around his birthplace has been redrawn more than once. According to the district administration, Ramanagara district was carved out of Bengaluru Rural district on 23 August 2007. It was renamed Bengaluru South district on 23 May 2025, and Ramanagara town remains the district headquarters.

Historical note: the State of Mysore was reorganised on linguistic lines on 1 November 1956, and took the name Karnataka on 1 November 1973. These dates come from the general historical record and are not details of his biography.

Veeranna and Kempamma

The parliamentary record names his father as the late Veeranna and his mother as the late Kempamma. Following the patronymic convention common in Karnataka, the initial “V.” in his name is taken from his father’s name. The Ministry of Jal Shakti profile uses the full form, Veeranna Somanna.

The same record notes his marriage to Smt. Shylaja on 25 May 1977. Official sources give no further family details, such as occupations, siblings or the circumstances of his upbringing, and none are given here.

A graduate and an agriculturist

His educational qualification is recorded as a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). The record does not name the college or university, or the year.

His profession is recorded as agriculturist, with social activist as a second profession. The same record lists him as a founder trustee of the V.S.S. Education Trust and the Jnanamitra Education Trust.

Vijayanagar ward, 1983

The first elected office in the record is local. In 1983 he was elected to the Bengaluru City Corporation from the Vijayanagar division, and in 1988 he was re-elected from the same division. Vijayanagar, in west Bengaluru, remains his home base.

His own biographical notes in the Lok Sabha record also mention social and community work. He organised events linked to the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru district and to the anniversary observances of Dr. Shivakumara Swamiji. He also took part in the padayatra led by the socialist leader Chandra Shekhar, who later became Prime Minister. These are self-reported entries and are presented here as that.

Six years after his re-election to the corporation, in 1994, he was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Binnipet. The Political Journey takes up the record from there.