D-day for DK Shivakumar: After years of political wrangling, the dream job

D-Day has dawned for DK Shivakumar. The man who has stood like a rock for the Congress and been engaged for years in party organisation, will become Karnataka's 25th Chief Minister as he will be sworn in today (June 3) at 4:05 PM at the Bengaluru Lok Bhavan.

After Siddaramaiah resigned as the Chief Minister on May 28, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) elected 64-year-old Shivakumar as its new leader on May 30 in Bengaluru.

The days after that were hardly restful for DKS, as he is popularly known. There were demands and counter-demands over the constitution of his Cabinet. He and Siddaramaiah had to make trips to Delhi to meet the party high command to iron out the details.

The net result may be worth it for DKS — the Chief Minister's post, his dream job for several years now, is his till the 2028 Karnataka Assembly election.

Party's 'trouble shooter'

From his college days, DKS has been no stranger to struggle. He even came into contact with the underworld figure Kotwal Ramachandra. In 1980, at the age of 18, he actively participated in student union elections. Former Chief Minister Devaraj Urs, impressed by his fighting spirit, drew him into politics.

Since then, DKS has worked incessantly for the Congress. For more than four decades, as the party’s “troubleshooter”, he quelled rebellions, ironed out internal differences, booked resorts post elections and managed Congress affairs in Karnataka with admirable efficiency. And now, he gets to run the state.

Known for his determination, organisational ability, and knack for crisis management, DKS has remained loyal to the high command and seen various stages of power. He served as a minister during the tenures of former chief ministers S Bangarappa and SM Krishna.

After becoming the KPCC president in March 2020, he successfully led Congress to victory in the Karnataka assembly elections three years later.

During his Youth Congress days, Shivakumar had close ties with Rajiv Gandhi. In the early days of his political career, one MP complained to Rajiv Gandhi that “DKS is a dangerous man, he carries knives”. But Rajiv Gandhi did not take it seriously; instead, he gathered information and rebuked the complaining MP. Shivakumar himself recalled this incident later with a laugh.

Electoral battles and victories

In 1985, at 23, DKS took on Janata Dal stalwart HD Deve Gowda from the Sathanur constituency in Mysore district, but lost. Two years later, he won the 1987 district panchayat election from Sathanur and re-entered politics.

And, in 1989, he contested again from Sathanur and entered the Assembly at the age of 27. His winning streak continued in subsequent elections, winning eight out of 10 contests.

Also read: Siddaramaiah: The shepherd who rewrote Karnataka's political history

In 1994, when denied a Congress ticket, he contested as an independent and won, showing his grassroots popularity. In 1999, he defeated Deve Gowda’s son HD Kumaraswamy. In 2023, he defeated his rival, BJP’s R Ashok, currently the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, in Kanakapura.

Congress’s go-to guy

In 2017, before the Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat, DKS successfully prevented 42 Congress MLAs from defecting, ensuring Ahmed Patel’s victory, even though he faced an Income Tax raid while keeping them at Eagleton Resort.

In 2018, he played a key role in forming the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka. Even though he was an arch rival of the Deve Gowda family, he followed the high command’s instructions and allied with the party.

Even when the government collapsed after 18 months, he stood on the streets of Mumbai trying to persuade rebel MLAs, showing his loyalty.

Building ties with bosses

In 2002, during Vilasrao Deshmukh’s tenure as the Maharashtra chief minister, Shivakumar acted as a troubleshooter during a no-confidence motion, keeping Maharashtra MLAs in a Bengaluru resort for a week, helping the government survive. This strengthened his ties with the high command.

Also read: Bengaluru tunnel road project: DK Shivakumar faces big test over Adani bid

In 2020, he took over from Dinesh Gundu Rao as the KPCC president. In 2022, when the Goa elections were expected to produce a hung assembly, the high command sent him there. He took the MLAs to a temple to swear loyalty, but Congress could not form the government. Still, he strengthened his relationship with the high command.

In the 2023 Karnataka elections, he promised senior leaders that he would ensure victory. He travelled from village to village, organising the party, and the Congress won 135 seats. As the results came out, he emotionally told the high command leaders, “I dedicate Karnataka’s victory to you.”

Wealth, criticism, and controversies

Shivakumar’s is an inspiring story, rising from an ordinary worker to state president, then Deputy Chief Minister, and now the CM.

It has not been a controversy-free rise. He is among India’s richest politicians, declaring family assets worth Rs 1,414 crore in his election affidavit. With heavy investments in real estate, education institutions, and mining around Bengaluru, critics say his urban development policies favour business interests over public welfare.

As Bengaluru’s development minister, he was criticisd for failing to manage traffic congestion, potholes, and floods. He himself admitted to lack of coordination among agencies like BDA, BBMP, and BWSSB, raising questions about his effectiveness.

Also read: Priyanka's key role in Shivakumar’s likely elevation as Karnataka CM

His political career and administrative style show several negative aspects. His aggressive political and administrative style has also drawn dissatisfaction. Excessive pressure on officials and “trouble shooter” tactics against opponents are seen as undemocratic.

Allegations of illegal money transfers, tax evasion, and illegal assets have been setbacks. In 2019, he spent two months in jail over illegal asset allegations. Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi visited him in jail to encourage him. He was released on bail after two months. In September 2018, during an ED raid at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, a huge amount of cash belonging to him was revealed.

Community leadership and rivalries

Since becoming the KPCC president in 2020, he has tried to emerge as the most influential Vokkaliga leader after Deve Gowda, but it has not materialised. With JD(S) losing ground in Old Mysore, Shivakumar got the opportunity to rise, fuelling rivalry with Kumaraswamy. Even BJP’s Vokkaliga leaders have kept distance from him regarding community leadership.

Despite these, his two-year-long struggle for the CM’s post under the 2023 power-sharing agreement has finally borne fruit. How things go from now will be up to Shivakumar.