| Damodaram Sanjeevayya | |
| Birth Date: | 14 February 1921 |
| Birth Place: | Peddapdu Village, Madras Presidency, British India (now in Andhra Pradesh, India) |
| Office: | Union Minister of Labour and Employment |
| Term Start: | 24 January 1964 |
| Term End: | 24 January 1966 |
| Primeminister: | Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| Predecessor: | Gulzarilal Nanda |
| Successor: | Jagjivan Ram |
| Office1: | Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha |
| Term Start1: | 1964 |
| Term End1: | 1972 |
| Predecessor1: | Narsing Rao |
| Successor1: | M Rahmatullah |
| Constituency1: | Andhra Pradesh |
| Office2: | 2nd Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh |
| Governor2: | Bhim Sen Sachar |
| Term Start2: | 11 January 1960 |
| Term End2: | 12 March 1962 |
| 1Blankname2: | Deputy |
| 1Namedata2: | Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy |
| Predecessor2: | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy |
| Successor2: | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy |
| Office3: | 3rd President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee |
| Term Start3: | 1956 |
| Term End3: | 1961 |
| 1Blankname3: | AICC President |
| Predecessor3: | Bezawada Gopala Reddy |
| Successor3: | Mallipudi Pallamraju[1] |
| Party: | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse: | Krishnaveni |
| Cabinet: | Government of India |
| Portfolio: | Minister of Labour and Employment (9 June 1964 – 23 January 1966) |
| Nationality: | Indian |
| Alma Mater: | Madras Law College[2] |
Damodaram Sanjivayya (14 February 1921 – 7 May 1972) was an Indian politician who served as the second chief minister of Andhra Pradesh from 11 January 1960 to 12 March 1962.[3] [4] Sanjivayya was the first Dalit Chief Minister of an Indian state.[5] [6] He was also the first Dalit leader to become All India Congress Committee president.[7]
Damodaram Sanjivayya was born in a Mala Dasu family[8] in Peddapadu village of Kallur Mandal in Kurnool district.[3] His father died when he was young. He studied at the Municipal School and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Law from Madras Law College in 1948.[9] Even while a student, he actively participated in the Indian freedom movement.[10]
Sanjivayya was a minister in the composite Madras State. He was a member of the provisional parliament 1950–52. In 1962, Sanjivayya also became the first Dalit leader from Andhra Pradesh to become All India Congress Committee president.[11]
He was Minister of Labour and Employment under Lal Bahadur Shastri between 9 June 1964 and 23 January 1966.[12]
Sanjivayya was the first Dalit Chief Minister of an Indian state.[13] He wrote a book on labour problems and industrial development in India, which was published in 1970 by Oxford and IBH Pub. Co., New Delhi.[14] He introduced pension system for widows, elderly people and established Lalitha Kala Academy in Andhra Pradesh. He was the youngest chief minister ever in India, he introduced the office of Anticorruption Bureau, he completed the irrigation projects like Gajuladinne in Kurnool dist., Vamsadhara, Pulichintala and varadarajula swamy project near Atmakur in Kurnool dist.
In 1950 Sanjivayya married a Dalit teacher, Krishnaveni. They had no children. Sanjivayya wrote literary articles and poetry in Telugu in his free time.