BENGALURU: From the dusty streets of Dodda Alahalli village to the pinnacle of Karnataka politics, D K Shivakumar’s four-decade journey has been defined by challenges, victories and unwavering loyalty to the Congress.Popularly called ‘Kanakapura Bande’ — the granite rock of Kanakapura– the assembly segment he represents, Shivakumar has also earned the reputation of being the Congress party’s ‘troubleshooter’. His first major political break came in 1985 when he contested from the Sathanur Assembly segment on a Congress ticket, though unsuccessfully. Four years later, he won from the constituency and entered the Assembly in 1989. Since then, he has won eight consecutive Assembly elections without a break.Over the years, the 64-year-old leader steadily emerged as the Congress party’s foremost Vokkaliga face in Karnataka. The Vokkaligas are one of the state’s most influential agrarian communities.The Congress leadership put Shivakumar’s political management skills to the test in 2017 when it entrusted him with the task of safeguarding 42 Gujarat Congress MLAs in Bengaluru ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections to prevent cross-voting. He successfully delivered on the assignment, with Congress candidate Ahmed Patel securing victory in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha contest.Congress leaders say the episode came at a significant personal and political cost to Shivakumar. During that period, the Income Tax Department conducted raids on properties linked to him, actions that the Congress claimed were politically motivated. This was followed by a series of searches and investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).On September 3, 2019, Shivakumar was arrested by the ED and spent 50 days in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. While many believed the imprisonment would weaken his political standing or prompt him to switch allegiance to the BJP, Shivakumar emerged from the ordeal with his loyalty to the Congress seemingly stronger than ever.His organisational acumen, political resilience and unwavering commitment to the party earned the confidence of the Congress high command, which appointed him president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) in 2020.Shivakumar assumed the role at a challenging time for the party in the state. The Congress had fared poorly in the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections, and its fortunes worsened in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, where it managed to secure just one of the state’s 28 parliamentary seats amid the sweeping popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The BJP emerged dominant in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, winning 25 seats on its own, while BJP-backed independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh secured victory from Mandya, taking the alliance’s tally to 26. The Congress was reduced to a solitary seat, Bengaluru Rural, represented by Shivakumar’s brother, D K Suresh.Just a month after the Lok Sabha setback, the Congress-JD(S) coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy collapsed following the disqualification of 18 MLAs from both parties. Many of the disqualified legislators later joined the BJP, helping the saffron party return to power in Karnataka for the fourth time.The subsequent bypolls to the 18 seats proved disastrous for the Congress-JD(S) alliance, with the BJP winning 15 constituencies.Following the electoral setbacks, then Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao resigned, while Siddaramaiah stepped down as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party. Amid the crisis, the Congress high command placed its faith in Shivakumar, appointing him KPCC chief in 2020 — a move that would eventually help revive the party’s fortunes in Karnataka.Under Shivakumar’s leadership, the Congress staged a remarkable comeback in the 2023 Assembly elections, securing a resounding victory with 134 seats in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly and returning to power in the state.According to Shivakumar, the Congress’ effective strength in the Assembly later increased to 140 with the backing of independent legislators. He faced another major political test during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, once again showcasing his organisational and electoral skills by helping the Congress improve its tally in Karnataka from just one seat in 2019 to nine seats in 2024.Following the party’s emphatic victory in the 2023 Assembly elections, Shivakumar was appointed deputy chief minister of Karnataka and was entrusted with key portfolios, including Bengaluru Development and Water Resources.He continued as the Karnataka Congress president as well, despite demands from some leaders for a change in the state unit leadership.Soon after the Congress formed the government in Karnataka in 2023, speculation emerged about a power-sharing arrangement under which Siddaramaiah would serve as chief minister for the first half of the five-year term before handing over the reins to Shivakumar. However, neither leader officially confirmed nor denied the reports, keeping the matter open to interpretation.However, after the Congress government completed two-and-a-half years in office on November 20, 2025, speculation over a leadership transition and the power tussle between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar intensified. Eventually, Shivakumar was elected leader of the Congress legislature party here on Saturday and he is set to take over as the next Karnataka chief minister on June 3.Born on May 15, 1962, in Dodda Alahalli village near Kanakapura in Bengaluru South district, Shivakumar is the son of Kempegowda and Gauramma. He entered politics during his college years in the early 1980s, laying the foundation for a long political career.In 1993, he married Usha. The couple has three children — daughters Aishwarya and Aabharana, and a son, Aakash.(With PTI inputs)
