23/10/2021
G. M. C. Balayogi
Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi (October 1, 1951 – March 3, 2002) was an Indian lawyer and politician.
Growing up in a small village, Balayogi had to travel to Guttenadeevi village for his primary education. He received his Post Graduate in Kakinada and a law degree from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam.
Early Career
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.
Politics
In 1991, Balayogi was elected to the 10th Lok Sabha lower house parliament under the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ticket. He lost this seat in the 1996 general elections, but continued political work in his community and 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.
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.
Death
On March 3, 2002, Balayogi died in crash of a Bell 206 helicopter in Kaikalur, West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh. He was aged 50. G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium was named in his memory.
