The former Chief Minister of Karnataka, D Devaraj Urs is fondly remembered by Kannadigas for his pro-people governance. He possessed a vintage Mercedes Benz car which is currently almost half a century old and continues to maintain good mileage and still captures the attention of onlookers.
The luxurious Mercedes-Benz car which has the registration number MEO 777 is a 1968 model. Reportedly, it was Devaraja Urs’ official car during his 10-year tenure as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. It was the former Prime Minister of the country, Indira Gandhi who felt that he deserved a better car than the Ambassador. As per reports, it quickly became the former CM’s favourite car.
The car is 56 years old now and continues to be in great working condition. Every year, on August 20, which marks the birth anniversary of D Devaraj Urs, the car is displayed in front of Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru. People eagerly wait for the day to admire the Black Beauty and are often spotted clicking photos with it.
As per reports, in the 1972 elections, Devaraj Urs organised the Congress Party and achieved a huge victory. As a gift, the then PM gifted him a brand-new Mercedes-Benz car from abroad. From then till 1980, the car remained with him till his tenure. In the following years, it was parked in Kumara Krupa guesthouse where all government cars are kept which are to be auctioned.
In 2007 when the government wanted to auction the car, it was bought by GM Babu, a close associate of the former CM and is still the current owner. Even the car is in a perfectly suitable condition for driving. He shared that he had to persuade the officials to let him have the car which he bought for Rs 4 lakh then. He claimed that the car gives him a mileage of 12 km per litre.
No matter which ruling party is in the state, the car is parked in front of Vidhana Soudha every year on August 20. Every CM stands in front of Devaraj Urs’ car and gets a photo taken.
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