Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar, commonly known as DK Shivkumar, is an Indian politician serving as the 9th and current deputy chief minister of Karnataka since 20 May 2023. He is also the minister overseeing water resources, Bengaluru development, town planning, and the Bengaluru urban district. He is a member of the Indian National Congress.
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DK Shivkumar is among the wealthiest politicians in India. While filing his nomination for election in 2018, he declared total assets of ₹840 crore. On 2 July 2020, Shivakumar officially took charge as Karnataka PCC president, succeeding Dinesh Gundu Rao.
But do you know his political career? Let us delve deep into his political life.
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His First Elections To Today:
Beginning as a student leader in the early 1980s, DK Shivkumar worked his way up through the Congress party’s ranks. He was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1989 from the Sathanur constituency in the Mysuru district, winning his first election.
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He ran for office on a Congress ticket when he was only 27. Shivakumar was re-elected from the same constituency in the ensuing assembly elections in 1994, 1999, and 2004. He won elections in Kanakapura in 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2023.
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Saved Governments In Maharashtra and Gujarat:
Vilasrao Deshmukh, during his tenure as Chief Minister of Maharashtra, worked closely with DK Shivkumar when he faced the motion of no confidence in 2002. Shivakumar hosted the Maharastra MLAs at his resort outside Bangalore for a week before the vote. The government of Deshmukh was so preserved.
Vilasrao Deshmukh
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To prevent 42 Gujarat Congress MLAs from defecting to another political party, just before his election to the Rajya Sabha in 2017 from Gujarat, he helped his party leadership shift the MLAs into his resort in Bengaluru. Thus, this contributed to Ahmed Patel’s election victory.
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Credited To Form The Coalition of INC And JD(S):
Following the 2018 election, he is recognised as a key player in forming the coalition government in Karnataka between the Indian National Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular). He is also a close confidante of party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
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Political achievements of DK Shivkumar.
DK Shivkumar’s political career got off to a quick start when, at 30, he was appointed as a minister in the administration led by the late CM Shri Bangarappa. As Minister of State for Home, he oversaw the departments of Home Guards and Prisons.
Shivakumar was instrumental in starting the Rajiv Gandhi Yuva Shakthi Sanghatan and encouraging young people to pursue social work and rural development careers.
Shivakumar also significantly impacted the design of Karnataka’s underpasses and flyovers, particularly the K.R. Market flyover. While serving as Karnataka’s Minister of Energy from 2013 to 2018, Shivakumar spearheaded the construction of Pavagada, Tumkur, the country’s largest solar power facility.
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The Congress party highly values DK Shivakumar’s contribution and strategy in helping the party win several significant by-elections, such as the Bellary and Bihar elections.
Also Read: Karnataka Elections Why Siddaramaiah Is A Better CM Candidate Than DK Shivkumar
