Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar (born 15 May 1962), commonly known as D. K. Shivakumar is an Indian politician, businessman and statesman who is serving as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka since 3 June 2026. A Leader of the Indian National Congress, he formerly served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.

Shivakumar has represented the Kanakapura Assembly constituency in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly since 2008. Prior to this, he represented the Sathanur Assembly constituency from 1989 to 2008.

Early and personal life

Shivakumar was born in Doddalahalli, a village in Kanakapura, Bengaluru South district, Karnataka,[2] to Kempegowda and Gowramma.[3] He belongs to the Vokkaliga community.[4][5] D. K. Suresh, who is also a politician, is his younger brother.[6]

Shivakumar studied at St. Rita School, Kanakapura, and at National Public School, Carmel School, and Vidyavardhaka School in Bengaluru.[7] He then did his B.A. from Sri Jagadguru Renukacharya College, Bengaluru.[8] In 2006, he completed his M.A. from the Karnataka State Open University.[9]

Shivakumar married Usha in 1993. They have three children: two daughters, Aishwarya and Aabharana, and a son, Aakash. His elder daughter is married to Amartya, the son of Café Coffee Day founder V. G. Siddhartha.[10] He is one of the richest politicians in India.[11]

Political career

Shivakumar started his political career in the early 1980s as a student leader and gradually rose through the ranks of the Congress party. He won his first election in 1989 when he was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the Sathanur constituency in the Mysuru district. He was just 27 years old at the time and contested the election on a Congress ticket.[12] Shivakumar went on to win re-election from the same constituency in the subsequent assembly elections in 1994, 1999 and 2004. He won from Kanakapura constituency in 2008, 2013, 2018 and 2023.[13][14][15][16][17]

Vilasrao Deshmukh, during his tenure as Chief Minister of Maharashtra, worked closely with Shivakumar when he faced the motion of no confidence in 2002. Shivakumar hosted the Maharastra legislators in his resort located on the outskirts of Bangalore for a week until the date of the vote. This saved Deshmukh's government.[18]

Just before his election to the Rajya Sabha in 2017 from Gujarat, he assisted his party leadership to move 42 Gujarat Congress MLAs into his resort in Bengaluru to avoid them moving to another political party. Subsequently, this helped Ahmed Patel to win the election.[13][19]

He is credited with playing a critical role in the formation of the coalition government of Indian National Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka following the 2018 election.[20]

He is also a close confidante of party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.[21] Shivakumar is among the richest politicians in India. While filing his nomination for election in 2018, he declared total assets of ₹840 crore.[22]

On 2 July 2020,D. K. Shivakumar officially took as Karnataka PCC president succeeding Dinesh Gundu Rao.[23]

On 20 May 2023, D. K. Shivakumar became the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka following the victory of the Congress party in the 2023 election.[24]

Chief Minister of Karnataka (2026–present)

After Siddaramaiah stepped down as Chief Minister in May 2026,D. K. Shivakumar was seen as the front-runner for the post.[25] He was sworn as Chief Minister on 3 June.[26]

Positions held

Year Position Ref
1989–1994 Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly
  • Minister of Prisons and Homeguards (17 October 1990 – 19 November 1992)
 [27]
1994–1999 Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly [27]
1999–2004 Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly
  • Minister of Urban Development (11 October 1999 – 20 May 2004)
 [14]
2004–2008 Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly [14]
2008–2013 Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly
  • KPCC Working President 2008 – 2010
 [15]
2013–2018 Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly
  • Minister of Energy (11 July 2014 – 19 May 2018)
 [17]
2018–2023 Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly [28]
2023– Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly

Electoral statistics

Year Election Constituency Name Party Result Votes gained Vote share% Margin Ref
1985Karnataka Legislative AssemblySathanurINCLost29,80938.78%15,803[14]
1989Karnataka Legislative AssemblySathanurINCWon44,59549.77%13,650[14]
1994Karnataka Legislative AssemblySathanurINDWon48,27046.08%568[14]
1999Karnataka Legislative AssemblySathanurINCWon56,05054.64%14,387[14]
2002
(bypoll)		Lok SabhaKanakapuraINCLost529,13337.61%52,576[29]
2004Karnataka Legislative AssemblySathanurINCWon51,60347.91%13,928[14]
2008Karnataka Legislative AssemblyKanakapuraINCWon68,09648.34%7,179[15]
2013Karnataka Legislative AssemblyKanakapuraINCWon100,00756.77%31,424[15]
2018Karnataka Legislative AssemblyKanakapuraINCWon127,55268.52%79,909[16]
2023Karnataka Legislative AssemblyKanakapuraINCWon143,02375.00%122,392[15]


References

  1. ↑ Gautam, Sagay RajRahul (29 May 2026). "DK Shivakumar to take oath as Karnataka Chief Minister on June 3". India Today. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  2. ↑ Swamy, Rohini (4 August 2017). "DK Shivakumar: The man called tiger of Sathanur". India Today. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "Shivakumar's father passes away". The Hindu. 1 January 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "Proud to be Vokkaliga, but my caste is Congress: DK Shivakumar". The News Minute. 17 October 2020.
  5. ↑ "D K Shivakumar: Congress's trusted Vokkaliga strategist-strongman". Hindustan Times. 2 August 2017. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  6. ↑ "DK Shivakumar likely to be Karnataka Congress chief". Hindustan Times. 16 February 2020. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "D K SHIVAKUMAR". www.dkshivakumar.co.in.
  8. ↑ "D K SHIVAKUMAR". www.dkshivakumar.co.in.
  9. ↑ Tyagi, Vanshika. "Who is D.K Shivakumar? Congress veteran, 8-time MLA likely as next Karnataka CM after Siddaramaiah's resignation; Know his education, family, political career". DNA India.
  10. ↑ "VVIPs from Delhi to land in Bengaluru for wedding of DK Shivakumar's daughter- the New Indian Express". Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  11. ↑ "D.K.Shivakumar Assets". Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Prabhu, Nagesh (22 April 2023). "D.K. Shivakumar | Congress's man for all seasons". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  13. 1 2 "DK Shivakumar: The man who saved Congress". Bangalore Mirror. Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Sathanur Assembly Constituency Election Result". resultuniversity.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "Kanakapura (Karnataka) Assembly Constituency Elections". elections.in. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  16. 1 2 "KANAKAPURA ASSEMBLY ELECTION RESULTS (2018)". oneindia.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  17. 1 2 "Shiva Kumar and Roshan Baig sworn-in as ministers in Karnataka Cabinet". The Times of India. 1 January 2014. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  18. ↑ Swamy, Rohini (11 March 2020). "Why DK Shivakumar is the Congress' choice to lead the party out of a hole in Karnataka". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "DK Shivakumar: The man who checkmated Amit Shah in Karnataka". The News Minute. 20 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  20. ↑ "Cong's D K Shivakumar man of the match". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  21. ↑ "Who is DK Shivakumar? Karnataka power broker is also one of India's richest ministers". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  22. ↑ "D K Shivakumar declares total assets of Rs 840 crore, a staggering jump from Rs 251 crore in 2013". The New Indian Express. 19 April 2018. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  23. ↑ "D K Shivakumar takes charge as KPCC president". The Hindu. 2 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  24. ↑ "Karnataka: Shivakumar accepts formula, says 'more responsibility on me now'". India Today. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  25. ↑ Nair, Preetha Nair; Chauhan, Bala; Bijapur, Naushad; Hirehalli, Devaraj B. (27 May 2026). "Karnataka power tussle: Siddaramaiah agrees to quit". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  26. ↑ "Sun rises on DKS era in Karnataka: Shivakumar takes oath as Chief Minister". Deccan Herald. 3 June 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  27. 1 2 "Meet DK Shivakumar, Congress' Last 'Resort' for Tricky Trust Votes". News18. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  28. ↑ "D K Shivakumar takes charge as KPCC president". The Hindu. 11 March 2020. Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  29. ↑ "PC Bye Election: Kanakapura 2002". indiavotes.com. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._K._Shivakumar