Bengaluru, May 18 (). Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar will take oath as Deputy Chief Minister on May 20, with the party high command picking Siddaramaiah for the top state post. A prominent Vokkaliga leader in the party, Shivakumar is known for his unique organizational skills. He is known as the strict task master and go-getter in the party.
Popularly known as a crusader for the Congress, Shivakumar was born on May 15, 1962 at Dodda Alahalli in Kanakapura taluk as the first son of the couple Kempe Gowda and Gouramma. His father was a zamindar and a local leader. He joined the Congress at the age of 18 and became the President of the Bengaluru District Congress from 1981 to 1983.
While studying at Bengaluru RC College, he became the state general secretary of the party. He gained popularity by organizing free medical and blood donation camps in rural areas.
In 1985, the party appointed former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda made Shivakumar the party candidate for the Sathanur assembly seat.
Though Gowda won, it was not easy for him.
In 1989, Shivakumar was fielded in Sathanur and won, ending the Janata Dal’s monopoly on the seat. In 1991, when late CM Virendra Patil became ill, he was instrumental in making late S Bangarappa the CM and in turn was made the prisons minister.
He was denied a ticket in 1994, but contested as a rebel candidate and won.
In 2004, the JD(S)-Congress coalition government was formed and Deve Gowda ensured that Shivakumar was kept out of the cabinet.
In 1999, when S.M. Krishna was appointed as the Karnataka Congress President, Shivakumar stood behind him like a rock and the party won 139 seats. He defeated former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy defeated when his father Deve Gowda was the PM.
In the 2006 Lok Sabha elections, Shivakumar fielded a journalist Tejaswini Gowda against Deve Gowda and ensured her defeat. When the Vilas Rao Deshmukh coalition government in Maharashtra was in danger of falling, Shivakumar hosted Congress MLAs in Bengaluru for 10 to 12 days and saved the government.
He managed to carve out a niche for himself in the Vokkaliga community against former PM Deve Gowda. He emerged as a prominent leader of the Vokkaliga community during the tenure of SM Krishna.
Shivakumar became a mass leader and one of the richest politicians in the country. The Kanakapura constituency is considered his bastion and he is known for handily defeating any leader against him here.
According to the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission, he has 19 criminal and other cases registered against him. He was arrested and jailed for assets disproportionate to his income and money laundering. He remained loyal to Sonia Gandhi even in extraordinary circumstances.
In 2019, when the party was facing an existential crisis, he gave it strength. His brother D.K. Suresh was the only MP to be elected to the Lok Sabha from the Congress in the 2019 parliamentary elections in Karnataka.
He also hosted Congress MLAs from Gujarat in Bengaluru. Helped late Ahmed Patel win the Rajya Sabha election when Amit Shah was making every effort to defeat him.
Shivakumar stood as the backbone of the Congress party. Though the BJP emerged as the single largest party in 2018, he ensured the formation of a JD(S)-Congress coalition government. Rahul Gandhi appreciated his efforts and said that his contribution to the Congress is immeasurable.
Shivakumar was elected as MLA from Sathanur seat (no longer present) in 1994, 1999 and 2004. He won the Kanakapura seat from 2008, 2013, 2018 and 2023. He is working as the President of Karnataka Congress unit since 2 July 2020.
He was the Minister of Chief Irrigation and Medical Education from 2018 to 2019, Minister of Energy from 2014 to 2018, Minister of Urban Development from 1994 to 1999 and Minister of Prisons and Home Guards from 1990 to 1992.
Shivakumar is the founder chairman of the National Education Foundation and runs engineering, management and nursing colleges. He is also running two world class primary schools.
cbt
Follow Niharika Times for all the big news from India and abroad. Like us on Facebook and Twitter . Always visit Niharika Times for latest news.