Despite being a strong contender for the chief minister’s post after the May 2023 Karnataka assembly elections, the leader is said to have set aside his aspirations for the hot seat, albeit “temporarily”, for the “sake of Karnataka’s politically stable future”. He is now the deputy chief minister of the state.
Such is his popularity that during the first special legislative session following the formation of the Congress government in Karnataka, while a few newly elected legislators chose to take oath in the name of God, Hindutva, and their spiritual leaders, two MLAs opted to be sworn in using the name of their political guru, DKS.
STRATEGIST SHIVAKUMAR
DK Shivakumar is undeniably the figure his political adversaries, particularly the BJP, find to be their toughest opponent. His strategic use of funds, influence, power, and emotional appeal has been masterful, say observers.
From actively engaging with rebel leaders through phone conversations to early morning home meetings, and even braving the rain outside a Mumbai resort to seek a meeting with dissident MLAs, he employs every possible tactic to ensure the success of the Congress party, say close associates.
What sets Shivakumar apart within the Congress is his ability to deliver positive outcomes in two key states — Karnataka and Telangana. This achievement is a testament to his relentless strategy and hard work on the ground.
“I have not slept for three days. I am pleased with the way the people of Telangana have voted in favour of the Congress. Sonia Gandhi ji granted them statehood, and the people expressed their appreciation with this win,” he said to a reporter recently after the poll results in India’s youngest state favoured his party.
Following the victory in Telangana, it is reported that the party high command endorsed Shivakumar’s choice of Revanth Reddy as the chief ministerial pick.
“DKS held one-on-one meetings with each MLA who won to persuade them of the importance of the victory for the party and their political future. Today, the Congress in Telangana is a formidable force, and no party can break it,” mentioned a senior state Congress MLA to News18.
KARNATAKA MODEL FOR TELANGANA
Even in Karnataka, where elections were conducted just six months before Telangana, Shivakumar confronted the then-ruling BJP on issues of corruption and effectively capitalised on the underlying public discontent over inflation and unemployment. The promise of five guarantees, including free power, ration, bus travel for women, jobs for the youth, and a monthly incentive of Rs 2,000 per woman head of a family, resonated in favour of the Congress.
Encouraged by the resounding success in Karnataka, Shivakumar adopted a similar strategy in Telangana with a sixth promise of insurance.
Apparently swayed by the change in Karnataka, the people of Telangana voted in favour of the Congress by granting the party 96 seats, dislodging the powerful BRS led by K Chandrashekar Rao, which had governed the state for two terms.
Shivakumar is also credited with playing a pivotal role in critical decisions such as dissuading Siddaramaiah from contesting on two seats in Karnataka and the selection of several candidates against the preferences of other leaders.
SKILLED TROUBLESHOOTER
Several instances highlight Shivakumar’s resilience, determination, and troubleshooting abilities.
He has consistently been the Congress’s go-to man to thwart alleged poaching attempts by the BJP in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Goa, earning him the title of the party high command’s ultimate “resort.”
In 2002, during a no-confidence motion against Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh of the Congress, Shivakumar hosted the entire contingent of the party’s state legislators at a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The Maharashtra MLAs were accommodated for a week and later safely escorted back to Mumbai for the trust vote, which Deshmukh won.
In 2017, when Congress stalwart Ahmed Patel contested for a Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat with the BJP looking to outmanoeuvre him in Narendra Modi and Amit Shah’s home state, the Congress, wary of poaching attempts, sought Shivakumar’s help to gather 44 state MLAs at a Bengaluru golf resort. An income tax raid on Shivakumar’s properties followed soon after. He was removed from the resort and kept under surveillance, while his brother DK Suresh kept watch. Shivakumar returned to the resort after the raids were over, and Ahmed Patel went on to win the Rajya Sabha seat.
In 2018, immediately after the Karnataka assembly polls, where the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 105 seats, the Congress feared a poaching bid while attempting to form an alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular). Acting on a call from the party high command in Delhi, Shivakumar gathered the legislators at the same resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Vigilantly overseeing them, he confiscated their communication devices and watched over the legislators like a hawk.
Despite the formation of a coalition government between the Congress and JD(S) in January 2019, three Congress MLAs—Anand Singh of Vijayanagara, Nagendra of Ballari Rural, and Ramesh Jarkiholi of Gokak—revolted and left for Mumbai and were later joined by 10 others.
As these 13 Congress rebel legislators announced their resignation from the Karnataka legislative assembly, the Congress high command turned one again to its last “resort”, both literally and figuratively.
Shivakumar rushed through the streets of Bengaluru towards the HAL airport to try and stop two independent MLAs who had withdrawn their support from the Congress-JD(S) alliance government and were being flown to Mumbai on a special flight allegedly arranged by the BJP.
Bengaluru’s traffic delayed him, and he arrived just after the flight with the rebel MLAs took off. Determined to bring them back, Shivakumar decided to fly to Mumbai the next day. He surprised everyone when he was spotted in front of the Mumbai hotel where the legislators were staying. The MLAs and their BJP hosts realised the danger of letting him speak to them.
“I only have a heart that I have come to extend to my friends…I am not a terrorist…politics is an art of possibility. Even if I were to collapse here without food, I don’t care. There is no question of leaving this place,” he told the media in front of the hotel.
Even on the day of the trust vote moved by BS Yeddyurappa in 2019, when two MLAs, Pratap Gowda Patil and Anand Singh, were still indecisive about supporting the BJP or the coalition, Shivakumar swung into action, keeping both of them confined in a hotel room until it was time for the trust vote. Just before it began, he personally drove them, put his arms around them, walked them into the Karnataka assembly, made a dramatic entrance, and ensured they voted for the Congress-JD(S) coalition.
THE EMOTIONAL SIDE
Shivakumar is known for his emotional nature. DKS has also been dubbed the Tiger of Sathanur, earning that name for his undying fighting spirit.
“When he sheds a tear, it’s not a sign of weakness, but a demonstration of his strength and courage, just like a tiger in battle,” said a close associate.
Hard work, determination, and smart politicking allowed Shivakumar to gradually gain control of the rural region of Bengaluru. He not only won the Kanakapura constituency from the JD(S) but has guarded it like his fortress to date. He is also considered the Man Friday of SM Krishna, former Karnataka CM and HD Deve Gowda’s arch-rival. He converted his love and respect for the leader into a familial bond after his daughter Aishwarya married Krishna’s grandson Amartya Hegde.
A well-known fact is Sonia Gandhi’s special fondness for Shivakumar. DKS has often highlighted her empathetic gesture of visiting him in Tihar Jail.
He acknowledged her contribution to Karnataka’s success, describing the election victories in the state as well as in Telangana as his “gift to Sonia ji”.
Shivakumar had spent 50 days in Delhi’s Tihar jail after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on September 3, 2019, in a money laundering case. He was released on October 23 after the Delhi High Court granted him bail.
Another statement by Shivakumar, a poignant display of his emotional side, was when he referred to his daughter’s appearance before the ED, while his mother and wife received summonses.
“I don’t shed tears. If I do, it’s seeing the love and affection of people. You have witnessed how people, including my mother and daughter, were harassed, and the act was driven by pure vendetta. I will not rest until each one of them is brought to book,” he said.
Yet another moving display of Shivakumar’s emotional connection was witnessed when he met the victims of the Chamarajanagar oxygen shortage, resulting in the tragic deaths of 24 people in 2021, and had tears rolling down his face while speaking to the survivor families.
“The tears of the people of Chamarajanagar don’t let me sleep at night. I can see their faces each day in front of me. I will ensure justice is served,” he said.
In a 2022 interview with this reporter, he pledged to shave off his beard on the day he would become the chief minister of Karnataka. The beard persists amid the apparent power struggle with Siddaramaiah.
“I allowed this beard to grow in Tihar jail. If this beard has to go and I have to be rid of it, only the people of Karnataka can grant me that salvation,” he once said.
DKS: HIS LIFE, POLITICAL JOURNEY
Born on May 15, 1962, in Kanakapura to Geddalahalli Kempegowda and Gouramma, Shivakumar began his political career as a student leader during his college days. He joined the Youth Congress and served as the general secretary of the Karnataka State Youth Congress between 1983 and 85. Gradually, he ascended the ranks within the Congress party.
A staunch Congressman throughout his political journey, he is also known for maintaining cordial relations with leaders across party lines, except for HD Deve Gowda and his family, whom he considers his political nemesis.
In 1985, he first contested against former Prime Minister Deve Gowda from the then Sathanur assembly seat on a Congress ticket. Although he lost the election, Deve Gowda’s victory in the Holenarsipura seat led to Shivakumar winning the subsequent bye-election. However, in the following election in 1989, he once again lost to Deve Gowda. Subsequently, he became a junior minister in the S Bangarappa government in 1990. In 1994, he faced defeat at the hands of Deve Gowda’s son, HD Kumaraswamy, in Sathanur.
This six-time MLA has come up against numerous corruption charges, including illegal granite mining, disproportionate assets, forgery, cheating, impersonation, tax evasion, and criminal conspiracy. Arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in September 2019 in connection with a money laundering case, Shivakumar was released on bail a month later. While assuming the role of Congress’s Karnataka unit chief in 2020, Shivakumar’s affidavit said no criminal charges had been framed against him or convictions to date. However, he faces numerous cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, including accusations of forgery, cheating, impersonation, and criminal conspiracy.
In a recent interview with News18, Shivakumar asserted that he “has done nothing wrong, and the truth will triumph”.
“I am a fighter, and I stand by the fact that I have done nothing wrong,” he said. “This is an Agni Pariksha (trial by fire) that I am confident of passing.”
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