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DK Shivakumar is acceptable to yet instrumentality implicit arsenic Karnataka main curate aft Siddaramaiah resigned from the apical station connected Thursday, marking the culmination of a decades-long governmental travel for the Congress person who roseate done the ranks arsenic the party’s trusted troubleshooter and wide person successful the state.Supporters of DK Shivakumar celebrated extracurricular his Bengaluru residence by distributing sweets aft the 2 leaders went to Lok Bhavan earlier successful the day.
In Kalaburagi, members of the Indian Youth Congress performed a peculiar puja astatine the Shri Sharana Basaveshwara Temple and demanded that Karnataka curate Priyank Kharge beryllium appointed lawman main curate if Shivakumar takes implicit the apical post.
The emergence and emergence of DKS
From pupil authorities successful Bengaluru to becoming 1 of the Congress party’s astir almighty organisers successful Karnataka, DK Shivakumar has built a governmental vocation defined by resilience, loyalty to the enactment precocious command, and an unmatched estimation arsenic a troubleshooter.Widely regarded arsenic a wide person with heavy organisational skills, Shivakumar began his governmental travel astatine conscionable 18 erstwhile helium joined the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the pupil helping of the Congress. Between 1981 and 1983, helium served arsenic president of the Bengaluru territory portion of NSUI portion studying astatine Ram Narayan Chellaram College successful Bengaluru. He aboriginal joined the Youth Congress and became wide caput of its Karnataka unit.
His introduction into electoral authorities was thing but easy. In 1985, the Congress fielded the young Shivakumar against Janata Dal heavyweight and aboriginal Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda successful the Sathanur assembly constituency. Though helium lost, Shivakumar earned attraction for putting up a beardown combat against 1 of Karnataka’s tallest leaders.Two years later, successful 1987, helium was elected to the Bengaluru Rural Zilla Panchayat from Sathanur.
In 1989, helium won his archetypal assembly predetermination from Sathanur connected a Congress ticket, opening a winning streak that would cement his presumption arsenic 1 of the party’s strongest leaders successful Old Mysuru.
DKS emergence wrong Congress
Shivakumar’s emergence wrong the Congress accelerated successful the aboriginal 1990s. He played a cardinal relation successful helping bring the authorities led by S Bangarappa to powerfulness successful Karnataka and was rewarded with a ministerial berth. As Minister for Prisons, helium became 1 of the youngest ministers successful the authorities cabinet.Even setbacks failed to halt his governmental ascent. Denied a Congress summons successful the 1994 assembly elections, Shivakumar contested arsenic a rebel campaigner and won, underlining his autarkic governmental spot and grassroots support.By 1999, Shivakumar had emerged arsenic an influential strategist wrong the Karnataka Congress. He backed SM Krishna during the latter’s emergence successful the enactment and played a large relation successful the Congress run that swept the assembly elections with 139 seats.
Shivakumar organised a large yatra during the run and was credited with mobilising enactment crossed the state. He won the Sathanur spot for a 3rd consecutive word and was inducted into the furniture arsenic Cooperation Minister.Over the years, Shivakumar handled respective cardinal portfolios, including Urban Development and Energy. As president of the State Planning Board and furniture sub-committees, helium pushed younker empowerment and women-focused initiatives specified arsenic Rajiv Yuva Shakti and Stree Shakthi.His estimation arsenic the Congress party’s situation manager grew steadily. Whether it was safeguarding legislators during periods of governmental instability oregon negotiating delicate alliances, Shivakumar repeatedly proved his worth to the Congress leadership. In 2004, aft the Congress-JD(S) conjugation came to powerfulness successful Karnataka, helium was instrumental successful interior negotiations contempt not uncovering a spot successful the cabinet.Shivakumar besides developed a estimation for taking connected the Deve Gowda household politically. In 1999, helium defeated H D Kumaraswamy, lad of Deve Gowda, successful Sathanur contempt the JD(S) patriarch’s nationalist stature pursuing his tenure arsenic Prime Minister.
Time of controversies
His governmental journey, however, was not without controversy. In August 2017, the Income Tax Department conducted raids connected properties linked to him.In September 2019, Shivakumar was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate successful an alleged wealth laundering case, spending weeks successful jailhouse earlier securing bail.The occurrence triggered a monolithic amusement of enactment from Congress workers, further strengthening his representation arsenic a person who had weathered governmental and ineligible storms.
DKS revives Congress successful Karnataka
Soon aft his release, the Congress enactment reaffirmed its religion successful him. On March 11, 2020, Sonia Gandhi appointed Shivakumar arsenic president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), tasking him with rebuilding the enactment successful a authorities wherever it was struggling against the BJP.Shivakumar threw himself into reviving the organisation, combining assertive campaigning with grassroots mobilisation. Alongside elder Congress person Siddaramaiah, helium spearheaded the party’s run successful the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections. The Congress registered a decisive victory, ending BJP regularisation successful the lone confederate authorities it governed.The triumph besides intensified speculation implicit the main minister’s post, with Shivakumar emerging arsenic 1 of the strongest contenders owing to his organisational relation and electoral success.
Though Siddaramaiah was yet chosen arsenic main minister, Shivakumar was named lawman CM — a designation of some his governmental clout and his years of loyalty to the Congress.For galore wrong the party, the assignment marked the culmination of a decades-long travel of a person who evolved from a pupil activistic into the Congress party’s go-to troubleshooter successful Karnataka politics.
DKS caste outreach to consolidate support
DK Shivakumar and his loyalists worked to broaden his enactment basal beyond the Vokkaliga assemblage by reaching retired to influential Panchamasali Lingayats successful northbound Karnataka.The strategy focused connected gathering a wider societal conjugation by bringing unneurotic the 2 ascendant agrarian communities nether a shared governmental and cultivation identity. With Panchamasalis forming a important conception of the Lingayat population, Shivakumar’s campy believed the outreach would assistance him fortify his power crossed Karnataka and consolidate his presumption wrong the Congress.Several Panchamasali leaders successful the Congress, including Karnataka curate Laxmi Hebbalkar, are considered adjacent to Shivakumar.
He besides stepped up outreach to Panchamasali mutt seers and assemblage leaders, peculiarly amid renewed debates implicit Karnataka’s caste census and preservation politics.The determination was besides viewed arsenic a antagonistic to the BJP-JD(S) confederation led by HD Kumaraswamy and BY Vijayendra, which has sought to consolidate enactment among Vokkaligas and Lingayats up of aboriginal assembly elections.For galore wrong the party, the assignment marked the culmination of a decades-long travel of a person who evolved from a pupil activistic into the Congress party’s go-to troubleshooter successful Karnataka politics.
