Jeevaraj Alva

Jeevaraj Alva (18 April 1947 – 12 February 2001) was an Indian politician from the State of Karnataka. He held multiple portfolios such as Kannada and culture, youth affairs and sports, higher education and information in the government of Karnataka. Alva was serving as vice-president of the Janata Dal (United) when he died in 2001, aged 53.

Early life Alva was born into a middle-class family which hailed from the coastal Canara region of Karnataka and belonged to the Tulu-speaking Bunt community. He was born on 18 April 1947 in Mangalore, a part of the erstwhile Madras Presidency of British India. His father, K. Nagappa Alva, was also a politician and he once headed the state unit of the Indian National Congress.

Career Hegde was a colleague of Jeevaraj Alva's father, K. Nagappa Alva, when the two were a part of the Second Nijalingappa ministry. Jeevaraj then went on to become a close confidante of Hegde, who called him a sanghathana chatura (able organiser), and served as minister when in his cabinet. Alva was first elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1978, when he contested Jayamahal. He contested with a Janata Party ticket and was elected as the youngest member of the assembly. He was re-elected twice from the same constituency, He stayed with the party for a period of 18 months, before quitting to rejoin the Janata Dal. His attempt to re-enter the Karnataka Legislative Assembly that year, from Jayamahal, failed.

Personal life Alva was married to a classical dancer, Nandini Seth. Seth eloped with him when she was 14 and he was 30, in the late-1970s. Hailing from Allahabad, her family had settled in Bangalore in the mid-1960s. Alva met her while she was a student in the city in the mid-1970s. They have two children together: son Aditya, who is a BJP leader in Bangalore, and daughter, Priyanka. Priyanka is married to actor Vivek Oberoi. Alva and his wife lived separately three years before Alva's death in 2001.