Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with Shamanuru Shivashankarappa during a mass wedding celebration organized on the occasion of the senior Congress leader’s 95th birthday in Davanagere on June 16, 2025. | Photo credit: The Hindu
Veteran Congress leader and Davanagere South MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa died on Sunday (December 14, 2025) evening due to multi-organ failure and age-related complications at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He was 94.
Mr. Shivashankarappa, the senior most legislator in Karnataka and one of the senior most in the country, was the national president of the Akhil Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha and a senior leader of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community.
Born on June 16, 1931 in Davanagere, Mr. Shivashankarappa rose from humble backgrounds to become a towering figure in the public life of Karnataka. During a long political career, he left a strong imprint in politics, education, industry and social services and was widely respected across party lines for his organizational skills and mass connections.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, former Chief Ministers HD Kumaraswamy and Basavaraj Bommai and several senior political leaders across party lines condoled his death.
Mr. Shivashankarappa was admitted to Sparsh Hospital in Bengaluru on October 23 with a lung infection. Hospital chairman Sharan Shivaraj Patil said the veteran leader died at 6:28 pm on Sunday, December 14, despite constant medical attention.
“He was treated in our hospital for nearly 45 to 50 days. He was admitted with lung infection and age-related complications after which his condition gradually deteriorated leading to multi-organ failure,” he said.
His son and Horticulture, Mines and Geology Minister SS Mallikarjun had earlier said that his father’s condition was stable and that he was expected to be discharged soon. However, his health deteriorated later.
Published – 14 Dec 2025 21:00 IST
