Vinay Kulkarni Age, Caste, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Vinay Rajashekharappa Kulkarni
Profession(s)	• Politician • Businessman
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 6" (168 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Politics
Political Party	Indian National Congress
Political Journey	• In 1996: Joined student politics • In 1988: Became president of youth Congress of Dharwad District • In 2000: Became Zilla Panchayat Member, Dharwad • In 2002: Became Vice President , Zilla Panchayat, Dharwad • In 2004: Elected as Independent MLA from Dharwad rural constituency • In 2013: Elected as member of Legislative Assembly , Dharwad Rural 71 Constituencies • In 2016: Elected as minister for Mines and geology, Government of Karnataka and In-Charge minister of Dharwad District • In 2018: Contested in Assembly elections from Dharwad; but lost • In 2019: Nominated by the Congress to contest the Dharwad Lok Sabha seat, but lost • In 2023: Re-elected as the MLA from Dharwad constituency
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• Vishwa Manava Prashasthi (2008) • Best Farmer Progressive Award (2008)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	7 November 1968 (Thursday)
Age (as of 2025)	57 Years
Birthplace	Gumgol, Navalgund Taluk, Dharwad District, Karnataka, India
Zodiac sign	Scorpio
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Dharwad, Karnataka
College/University	University of Agricultural Sciences, Sports Arena, Dharwad
Educational Qualification	A bachelor's degree in Agricultural Science
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Brahmin
Address	#598 Shivanandi House, New BEL Road, chikkamaranahalli, Dollars Colony, RMV 2nd stage, Bangalore, India, 560094
Controversy	Yogesh Gowda murder case (2016) In June 2016, Yogesh Gowda, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Dharwad Zilla Panchayat member, was murdered at a gym in Dharwad, Karnataka. In 2019, the case later gained significant attention and was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for further investigation. Vinay Kulkarni was named as one of the key accused. Investigators alleged that hired assailants carried out the attack. In November 2020, Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI. In August 2021, he was granted conditional bail by the Supreme Court; however, in June 2025, the Supreme Court cancelled his bail, citing concerns about alleged attempts to influence witnesses during the trial. After several years of investigation and trial on 15 April 2026 a special court in Bengaluru delivered its verdict, in which Vinay Kulkarni and several co-accused were convicted in connection with the murder. [1]The New Indian Express
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook • YouTube • Twitter
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Wife/Spouse	Shivaleela Kulkarni (businesswoman)
Children	Son- Hemant Kulkarni Daughter(s)- 2 • Vaishali Kulkarni (politician) • Deepali Kulkarni (architectural designer)
Parents	Father- Rajashekarappa Kulkarni (farmer) Mother- Suvarna Rajshekharappa Kulkarni
Siblings	Brother- Vijay Kulkarni (politician) Sister- Vijayalakshmi Patil
Style Quotient
Car Collection	• Ford Endeavour • TATA Safari • Volkswa Gen Taigun
Money Factor
Assets/Properties	• Movable: Rs 11 Crore (approx) (as of 2024) • Immovable: Rs 7 Crore (approx) (as of 2024)
Net Worth (approx.)	Rs 19 Crore+ (as of 2024)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Vinay Kulkarni

• Vinay Kulkarni hails from a politicians and farmers family.

• His great grandfather, Karaveerappa, was a practicing advocate during the time of British rule in India. In an interview, Vinay shared that his great grandfather was the first person from Karnataka, who travelled across the sea by ship in those days to supreme court which was situated then at London.

• Vinay’s grandfather, M.K. Kulkarni, was four times MLA from Navalgund Constituency of Karnataka.

• His father, Rajashekarappa Kulkarni, was successful farmer, and owned four hundred acres of joint agricultural land in Dharwad. In an interview, Vinay shared that all the disputes of farmers & villagers, be it domestic or professional of Navalgund village used to get solved in his father’s presence, without approaching the law courts or Police intervention.

• In 1992, Vinay started a milk dairy, under the name Vinay Diary. With in few years, it became the largest private dairy with 1700 high yielding cows of both desi & abroad variety.
  

  Vinay Kulkarni with his family, while celebrating 25 years of his dairy farm in 2017

• In 1996, during the first year of his graduation degree, he started raising voices for the student’s welfare. Soon, he was chosen as president of student’s union.

• In 1997, Vinay was appointed as the president of Agri Seva Sahakari Bank Ltd, Navalgund, Dharwad.

• In 1998, he became president of Youth Congress of Dharwad District. As a president, he got exposure to interact with farmers and villagers of Dharwad district, that gave her opportunity to strengthen his position as a local leader.

• In 2000, Vinay joined Zila Panchayat of Dharwad as its member, and later in 2002, was appointed as its vice-president.
• In the same year, he became president of agriculture and industries standing committee Zilla Panchayat of Dharwad.

• His exposure in Zila Panchayat committee was his breakthrough that gained him recognition, which later, on 26 April 2004 elected him as an Independent MLA from Dharwad rural constituency.

• In the same year, he joined congress and became member of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.

• In 2006, Vinay was appointed as the president of a temple, Sri Murugamath Trust, Dharwad.

• In 2010, he was appointed as president of Hindi Prachara Sabha, Dharwad, Karnataka.

• In 2011, for his active participation in social work, he was awarded with Late Shri K.N. Nagegowda Social Service Award.

• In 2013, he was elected as a Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly as an Indian National Congress party candidate from the Dharwad Rural 71 constituency.
  

  Vinay Kulkarni with Indian National Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi

• From 2013 to 2018, he served as the In-charge minister of Dharwad district.

• In 2013, Vinay Kulkarni founded Vaishudeep Foundation, that is providing education, health care and social welfare services in Dharwad, Karnataka. Vinay’s wife, Shivaleela Kulkarni has been serving as the secretary of the foundation.

• In 2015, he was appointed as minister in cheif minister Siddaramaiah‘s cabinet, where he handled portfolios of urban development and municipal administration.
  

  Vinay Kulkarni with Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah

• In 2016, Vinay was appointed as chairman of Karnataka State Minerals Corporation Limited.

• In 2019, Kulkarni was named as the key accused in Yogesh Gowda, a BJP leader’s murder case. In November 2020, he was arrested by the CBI.

• In 2023, despite being an accused in murder case, he won the assemble election from Dharwad constituency. As the court had restricted his entry into the district, his election campaign was run by his wife and elder daughter, Vaishali, who is also a politician.

• Since he has been serving as the chairman of the Karnataka Water Supply and Drainage Board.

• On 15 April 2026, after many years of trials and investigations of Yogesh Gowda murder case, Vinay Kulkarni and several other co-accused were convicted in connection with the murder by a special court in Bengaluru.

• After his conviction, he has been facing protentional disqualifications as an MLA.