DK Shivakumar: Congress troubleshooter set to become Karnataka Chief Minister

For Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar, widely regarded as the chief problem-solver of the Congress party, becoming the chief minister is a dream that is now on the verge of being fulfilled. He is expected to be sworn in as Chief Minister in the coming days.

The 64-year-old leader set his sights on the state’s top post soon after the Congress returned to power in the 2023 assembly elections. His proximity to the party’s central leadership, particularly Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, is believed to have strengthened his claim after a long power struggle with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the past three years.

The eight-time MLA, who has been heading the KPCC since 2020, has emerged as one of Karnataka’s richest politicians with family assets estimated at over ₹1,400 crore. Popularly known as ‘DK’ or ‘DKShi’, he built considerable wealth after joining the assembly in 1989 through investments in educational institutions and business ventures.

Organizational skills

Born in a humble Vokkaliga agrarian family, his rise in Karnataka politics was driven by tireless grassroots mobilization, organizational skills and the support of his younger brother, former MP DK Suresh.

He campaigned for the Congress during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections despite facing investigations by several agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in connection with alleged cases of money laundering and tax evasion.

Mr Shivakumar was arrested by the ED in 2019 in a money laundering case. The Congress claimed that the arrest was politically motivated and linked it to its efforts to protect party legislators after the 2018 Karnataka Assembly verdict that ultimately allowed the Congress and JD(S) to form a coalition government and keep the BJP out of power despite emerging as the single largest party.

He was granted bail after spending 50 days in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. On his return to Bengaluru, Congress leaders staged a massive roadshow from the airport, portraying his arrest as an “insult” to the Vokkaliga community and bolstering his image as a regional strongman with significant influence in the Old Mysore region.

Young participant

Mr. Shivakumar’s political rise began with a bold gamble in 1985 when, as a relatively unknown 23-year-old, he contested against former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda in the former Sathanur Assembly constituency. Although he lost by nearly 15,000 votes, the campaign won him recognition in the Congress party.

He won from Sathanur in the 1989 assembly elections when the Congress returned to power in Karnataka. At the age of 30, he became the Prisons Minister in S. Bangarappa’s cabinet in 1991–92. Since then he has not lost an election.

Rivalry with HD Deve Gowda family

His rivalry with the Deve Gowda family influenced much of his political career over the next decade as the Congress sought to field the younger Vokkaliga leader along with former Chief Minister SM Krishna to counter Mr Deve Gowda’s influence.

In 1999, Mr Shivakumar defeated HD Kumaraswamy, Mr Deve Gowda’s son, in the Sathanur constituency and earned the reputation of a “giant killer”. He consolidated his position in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections by playing a key role in helping Congress candidate and television journalist Tejaswini Gowda defeat Mr. Deve Gowda in the then Kanakapura constituency.

The victory made him the dominant political force in rural Bengaluru district and intensified his rivalry with Mr. Kumaraswamy, who has also built his political base in the same region.

Mr. Shivakumar rose rapidly during the Congress government under SM Krishna (1999-2004), handling key portfolios such as urban development and cooperation. Political observers often describe this period as a phase of his meteoric rise.

Although the Congress lost the following Assembly elections, Mr. Shivakumar retained his seat. In the Congress-JD(S) coalition government led by Dharam Singh (2004–05), the Deve Gowda camp is believed to have ousted both SM Krishna and Mr Shivakumar from positions of power.

When the Congress returned to power in 2013, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inducted Mr. Shivakumar into the Cabinet, albeit after initial hesitation. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, despite a BJP surge across the country, Mr. Shivakumar ensured the victory of his brother DK Suresh from Bengaluru Rural.

A Congress man for all seasons

His proximity to the Congress high command and his reputation for meticulous political management made him the party’s chief strategist during crises. In 2017, he famously hosted Congress MLAs from Gujarat in the Bengaluru resort to ensure Ahmed Patel’s victory in the Rajya Sabha elections. Income tax officials later raided the resort during the standoff.

He had previously held a similar role in 2002, when Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh faced a no-confidence motion.

After a split verdict in the 2018 Karnataka assembly elections, Mr Shivakumar played a central role in forming the Congress-JD(S) coalition government led by Mr Kumaraswamy, putting aside years of political enmity with the Deve Gowda family. However, his efforts to preserve the coalition failed after several Congress and JD(S) legislators defected to the BJP, paving the way for the formation of a BJP government.

Open ambition

Unlike in the past, in 2023, Mr. Shivakumar openly declared his ambition to become the Chief Minister. In recent years, he has frequently visited temples across the country seeking divine blessings, consistently maintaining that the decision rests with the Congress high command.

Published – 28 May 2026 16:10 IST