View source for G. M. C. Balayogi

{{Short description|Indian lawyer and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = G. M. C. Balayogi in New Delhi, India, 2001.jpg
| imagesize =
| name = Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1951|10|01|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Yedurulanka]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[India]]<br><small>(now in [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[India]])</small>
| residence =
| death_date = {{death date and age|2002|03|03|1951|10|01|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Kaikalur]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[India]]
| order = 12th
| office = Speaker of the Lok Sabha
| term_start = 24 March 1998
| term_end = 3 March 2002
| predecessor = [[Purno Agitok Sangma]]
| successor = [[Manohar Joshi]]
| constituency = [[Amalapuram (Lok Sabha constituency)|Amalapuram]]
| deputy = [[P. M. Sayeed]]
| constituency_MP1 = [[Amalapuram (Lok Sabha constituency)|Amalapuram]]
| parliament1 = Indian
| term_start1 = 1991
| term_end1 = 1996
| predecessor1 = Kusuma Krishna Murthy
| successor1 = K. S. R. Murthy
| term_start2 = 1998
| term_end2 = 2002
| predecessor2 = K. S. R. Murthy
| successor2 = [[G.V. Harsha Kumar]]
| party = [[Telugu Desam Party]]
| religion =
| spouse = [[Vijaya Kumari Ganti]]<ref name="Hindu">{{cite news|title=Landslide win for TDP candidate|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2002/06/03/stories/2002060302030600.htm|accessdate=3 November 2017|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=3 June 2002}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
| children =Ganti Deepthi, Ganti Ramya, Ganti Keerthi, Ganti Harish Madhur
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi''' ({{Audio|yogi.ogg|pronunciation}}; 1 October 1951 – 3 March 2002) was an Indian [[lawyer]] and [[politician]].

Growing up in a small Village, Balayogi had to travel to [[G.vemavaram]] village for his primary education. He received his Post Graduate in [[Kakinada]] and a law degree from [[Andhra University]], [[Visakhapatnam]]. He was serving as the speaker of 12th Lok Sabha when he died in a helicopter crash.

==Early career==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}
Balayogi began practicing law in 1980 in Kakinada under the guidance of Gopalaswamy Shetty, and in 1985, was selected as a [[Magistrate#India|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. He was the First Dalit speaker in Loksabha

==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 (24 March 1998) and again for the 13th Lok Sabha (22 October 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.<ref>[http://speakerloksabha.nic.in/former/baalyogi.asp Lok Sabha Website: Biography]</ref>

==Death==

On 3 March 2002, Balayogi died in crash of a [[Bell 206]] helicopter in Kaikalur, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh. He was aged 50.
[[G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium]] was named in his memory.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://speakerloksabha.nic.in/former/baalyogi.asp Lok Sabha Official Website: Biography]
*[http://www.dalitstan.org/vishnu/bala.html Dalistan.org: Biography]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070306235340/http://www.outlookindia.com/nextsubsection.asp?personname=Ganti+Mohana+Chandra+Balayogi&subsec=Portraits&secname= Outlook India: Portraits]
{{start box}}
{{succession box |
  before=[[P.A. Sangma]]|
  title=[[Speaker of Lok Sabha]] |
  years=1998&ndash;2002 |
  after=[[Manohar Joshi]]
}}
{{end box}}
{{Speakers of the Lok Sabha}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balayogi, G.M.C.}}
[[Category:Speakers of the Lok Sabha|Balayogi]]
[[Category:Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents|Balayogi]]
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in India]]
[[Category:12th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:13th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:Telugu Desam Party politicians]]
[[Category:10th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Andhra Pradesh district councillors]]
[[Category:Andhra University alumni]]
[[Category:People from East Godavari district]]
[[Category:State funerals in India]]