K Gopala Poojary

{{Short description|Indian politician, Chairman of Karnataka State Road Transport Co}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}

{{Use Indian English|date=November 2019}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|image =

|office = Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly

|term_start = 2013

|term_end =

|predecessor =

|successor =

|office1 =

|primeminister1 =

|term_start1 =

|term_end1 =

|predecessor1 =

|successor1 =

|office2 = Chairman of the Karnataka Forest Development Corporation

|primeminister2 = Narendra Modi

|term_start2 = 2017

|term_end2 = 2019

|predecessor2 =

|successor2 =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|8|21|df=y}}

|birth_place = Kundapur

|occupation =Politician

|children = 3

|party = Indian National Congress

|education = Secondary School Leaving Certificate

|profession = KSRTC CHAIRMAN

| nationality = {{flag|India|name=Indian}}

|sibling =

|website =

}}

Kalmady Gopala Poojary is an Indian politician who worked as Chairman of Karnataka Forest Development Corporation and member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Baindur.{{cite web | url=http://www.elections.in/karnataka/assembly-constituencies/byndoor.html | title=Sitting and previous MLAs from Byndoor Assembly Constituency | work=elections.in | accessdate=25 May 2016}}

He was born in Kalmady, Byndoor in August of 1959 to a poor farmer family. After graduation Gopala Poojary moved to Mumbai to find work. On his return to Karnataka, Gopala Poojary started his restaurant business in 1984. Introduced to politics through his political Godfather S Bangarappa. Gopala Poojary contests election for the first time as a member of the KCP in 1994 garnering 10436 votes. Gopala Poojary contests the 1996 by election as an INC candidate for the first time winning the election by 8000 votes. Gopala Poojary goes on to win the next two elections registering a hattrick of wins in 1996, 1999 and 2004. He tasted defeat for the first time in 2008. He later went on to hold the Udupi District President Post. Gopala Poojary contests election once again in 2013 and wins by a margin of 31000 votes. He is defeated in the election of 2018. Gopala Poojary is considered to be a very senior leader in Udupi and is regarded as "Badavara Bandu" and lauded for being a simple politician in his hometown Byndoor.

K Gopala Poojary has been appointed as Karnataka Forest Development Corporation Chairman in 2016.{{cite news |date=2 November 2016 |title=21 MLAs to head boards, corporations |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/21-MLAs-to-head-boards-corporations/article16091341.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250423075123/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/21-MLAs-to-head-boards-corporations/article16091341.ece |archive-date=23 April 2025 |access-date=23 April 2025 |publisher=The Hindu |language=en-IN}}