Bengaluru: Coinciding with Valentine’s Day, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K. Shivakumar’s eldest daughter Aishwarya on Sunday married BJP’s veteran member S.M. Krishna’s grandson Amartya Hegde at a private hotel in this tech city.
State Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, many of his cabinet colleagues, opposition Congress leader in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former state Chief Ministers Siddaramaiah and H.D. Kumaraswamy, several politicians, celebrities and Kannada cine stars graced the occasion.
Amartya is the son of late Cafe Coffee Day founder V.G. Siddharatha and Krishna’s elder daughter Malavika Hegde.
“The wedding ceremony was performed as per the religious tradition of the Vokkaliga community to which bride and bridegroom belong. Covid-induced protocols were maintained to ensure social distancing,” a party official told IANS.
Aishwarya and Amartya got engaged on November 19 at a star hotel on the city’s outskirts.
Krishna is the former external affairs minister in the UPA-2 government (2009-12) and former chief minister of the southern state from 1999-2004 when he was in the Congress.
Aishwarya was seen in a red and white saree in golden embroidery, while Amartya wore white kurta and pyjama.
In view of the Covid-induced restrictions on large public gatherings to contain the virus spread and security reasons, Shivakumar appealed to hundreds of his supporters from his home district and party cadres to bless the couple virtually through social media platforms like Facebook from their home and not to crowd the wedding venue.
Shivakumar, 58, is a Congress legislator from Kanakapura Assembly segment in the neighbouring Ramanagara district, about 60km southwest of Bengaluru.
The newly-wed couple’s reception is scheduled on February 17 in the city.
