Sri.G.M.C. BALAYOGI DEATH ANNIVERSARY

Sri.Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi (October 1, 1940 – March 3, 2002) was an Indian Lawyer and politician.

Powerful Politician in Konaseema and also TDP party. Yanam-Yedurlanka bridge named as Balayogi Bridge constructed Navayuga constructions.

        Growing up in a small village, Balayogi had to travel to Gutteenadevi village for his primary education. He received his Post Graduate in Kakinada and a law degree from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam.Balayogi began practicing law in 1980 in Kakinada under the guidance of Shri Gopalaswamy Shetty, and in 1985, was selected as a First Class Magistrate. He then resigned from this post and returned to the bar to resume legal practice. In 1986, he took over as the Vice-Chairman of the Cooperative Town Bank of Kakinada, and in 1987, was elected as the Chairman of the East Godavari Zilla Praja Parishad.

        In 1998, Balayogi was elected into parliament; he became the 12th Speaker of Lok Sabha (March 24, 1998) and again for the 13th Lok Sabha (October 22, 1999). As the Speaker, he chaired the Business Advisory Committee, Rules Committee, General Purposes Committee and Standing Committee of the Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in India, and he presided over the Indian Parliamentary Group, National Group of Inter-Parliamentary Union and India Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Along with these duties, Balayogi headed many Indian Parliamentary Delegations to foreign countries, while hosting visiting countries as well.

      On March 3, 2002, Balayogi died in crash of a Bell 206 helicopter in Kaikalur, West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh. He was aged 61. G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium was named in his memory.

      Shri Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi had the distinction of having been elected Speaker of the Twelfth Lok Sabha and re-elected unanimously as the Speaker of the Thirteenth Lok Sabha. As Speaker, he contributed significantly not only in upholding the prestige and dignity of the high office he held but also in consolidating parliamentary institutions in the country.  He was at the height of his popularity when the cruel hands of death snatched him away from amongst us on 3 March 2002.  In his death, the country lost a young and dynamic parliamentarian. 

Balayogi was born on 1 October 1951 to Shri Ganniyya and Smt. Satyamma belonging to an agricultural family in the tiny village of Yedurulanka, right on the banks of the mighty and majestic Godavari river in the Konaseema region of East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. He was second among three children with a sister above and a brother below.

Balayogi had his primary education at Guttenadivi village as there was no school in his native place. He did his graduation from Kakinada and obtained his Post Graduation and Law degree from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam.

Balayogi started his legal career at the Bar in Kakinada in 1980 under the guidance of Shri Gopalaswamy Shetty. In 1985, he was selected as a First Class Magistrate. But he resigned from the Service and returned to the Bar to resume legal practice in Kakinada. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh came under the sway of the "NTR wave" in 1982 when N.T. Rama Rao, matinee idol of the masses, entered politics and formed the Telugu Desam Party. At that time, many young and educated Andhraites were moved by the wave and Balayogi too enrolled himself as an activist of the newly formed party. Political recognition and responsibility came to him early enough when he took over as the Vice-Chairman of the Cooperative Town Bank of Kakinada in 1986.  In 1987, he was elected as the Chairman of the East Godavari Zilla Praja Parishad and remained in that position till 1991 when political fortune pushed him for a higher position that very same year.

Balayogi's parliamentary career began in 1991 when he contested from the Amalapuram constituency on a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ticket and was elected to the Tenth Lok Sabha for the first time.  A first timer in the Lok Sabha, Balayogi took keen interest in learning about the rules and procedures of the House and also participated in the proceedings of the House.

In the 1996 General Elections, Balayogi lost his seat.  The defeat, however, did not daunt his spirit and he continued to work with great dynamism and firm determination to serve the people.  He was soon elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in a by-election from the Mummidivaram Assembly constituency. Subsequently, he was appointed as the Minister of Higher Education in the Government of Andhra Pradesh. As a Minister, he made sincere efforts to streamline and strengthen the educational system.  He believed that the role and responsibility of education and training in the employment context must be defined carefully.  He was also of the view that the type of education imparted should correspond to the societal tasks and economic roles to be played by the educated.