Published May 29, 2026 | 2:00 PM ⚊ Updated May 29, 2026 | 2:01 PM
DK Shivakumar is a prominent Vokkaliga leader in the state.
Synopsis: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is the frontrunner to succeed Siddaramaiah following the Congress leader’s resignation as Chief Minister. Shivakumar, dubbed the “Kanakapura Bande” for his unbeaten electoral record in Assembly elections spanning more than three decades, is among the wealthiest politicians in the country. Over the years, he has also emerged as one of the Congress party’s most trusted political organisers and troubleshooters.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is the favourite to succeed Congress veteran Siddaramaiah, who tendered his resignation on Thursday, 28 May, after three years at the helm of the government.
Following Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s acceptance of the resignation on the morning of Friday, 29 May, and the subsequent dissolution of the Siddaramaiah cabinet, the Congress Legislature Party is expected to elect a new leader in accordance with directions from the party high command in Delhi.
Despite names such as AICC President Mallikarjuna Kharge and Home Minister G Parameshwara being floated as potential candidates, Shivakumar is widely expected to become the state’s next chief minister.
If confirmed, his rise to the top job would mark the pinnacle of a political career spanning more than four decades, during which he has distinguished himself as one of the Congress party’s foremost organisers and a trusted ‘troubleshooter’ for the high command.
Also Read: Siddaramaiah reflects on public life after resignation, vows to continue fight for social justice
Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar was born on 15 May 1962 in Dodda Alahalli, near Kanakapura in present-day Bengaluru South district, to a Vokkaliga family, the dominant landed community of the Old Mysore region and one of Karnataka’s two largest caste groups.
He spent his formative years attending the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s Vittal Shakha in Rajajinagar. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Karnataka State Open University, Mysuru (2006). He has 19 criminal cases pending against him.
After failing to secure a student election ticket from the National Students’ Union of India, he contested his first election in 1985 from the Sathanur Assembly constituency against former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda—then a cabinet minister in the ruling Janata Party–and lost.
Four years later, in 1989, he tried again and won. Known as the “Kanakapura Bande” (Rock of Kanakapura), Shivakumar has earned the moniker by never losing an Assembly election since 1989.
He represented Sathanur continuously until 2008, when he shifted to the Kanakapura constituency. He has held the seat ever since.
During his second term as an MLA, he was appointed Minister of Prisons and Home Guards. In 1999, under Chief Minister SM Krishna, he was given the Urban Development portfolio.
Between 2008 and 2010, he served as working president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) under RV Deshpande.
After the Congress returned to power under Siddaramaiah in 2013, Shivakumar was entrusted with the Energy portfolio. In the Congress-JD(S) coalition government between 2018 and 2019, he served as minister for major irrigation and medical education.
In July 2020, Shivakumar was appointed president of the KPCC, replacing Dinesh Gundu Rao.
Together with Siddaramaiah, he went on to lead the Congress campaign in the 2023 Assembly election, securing a thumping majority and returning the party to power.
Following the victory, prolonged negotiations were held amid an internal tussle between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar over the chief minister’s post. Eventually, Siddaramaiah became chief minister, while Shivakumar was appointed deputy chief minister and given responsibility for Bengaluru’s development.
But ever since, murmurs of a power-sharing arrangement between the two leaders have never ceased. Despite feverish speculation in late 2025 about a “November revolution”, Siddaramaiah was allowed to complete three years as chief minister, becoming the longest-serving holder of the office in Karnataka’s history.
Also Read: Time – What AICC refused to give Siddaramaiah but gifted itself
Shivakumar is among India’s wealthiest politicians. According to his election affidavits, his declared assets increased from about ₹251 crore in the 2013 Karnataka Assembly election to about ₹840 crore in 2018 and approximately ₹1,413 crore in 2023.
Despite limiting himself electorally to Karnataka, Shivakumar has distinguished himself as one of the Congress’s most trusted troubleshooters.
For more than two decades, he has been the go-to man for the party high command in efforts to protect Congress governments and legislators from defections and horse-trading.
He played a key role in safeguarding Congress legislators during political crises in several states, including Maharashtra in 2002 and Gujarat in 2017. A resort associated with him in Bidadi, in Bengaluru South district, has frequently served as a safe haven for legislators during periods of political uncertainty.
His reputation as a troubleshooter was cemented after the 2018 Karnataka Assembly election produced a hung verdict.
The BJP emerged as the single largest party and Governor Vajubhai Vala invited BS Yediyurappa to form the government, despite the Congress-JD(S) striking a post-poll alliance to arrive at a majority. Shivakumar worked to keep the Congress-JD(S) alliance intact and prevent defections to the BJP.
The BJP government collapsed within two days, paving the way for the Congress-JD(S) coalition to form the government. While the coalition government eventually fell in 2019, his standing within the Congress was significantly enhanced.
In 2017, the Income Tax Department conducted searches at more than 60 locations associated with Shivakumar and his associates in Karnataka and New Delhi.
The raids took place while 44 Congress MLAs from Gujarat were staying at the Bidadi resort to prevent poaching ahead of a crucial Rajya Sabha election in which senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel was contesting.
The IT Department said it had detected undisclosed income and seized cash and documents during the operation.
In September 2018, the Enforcement Directorate registered a money-laundering case against Shivakumar based on material arising from the Income Tax investigation.
The same month, the agency arrested him in New Delhi after multiple rounds of questioning. He spent nearly 50 days in Delhi’s Tihar Jail before being granted bail by the Delhi High Court.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
