Tracing DK Shivakumar's Political Journey, From A Young Minister To Karnataka Congress Chief

DK Shivakumar, the Karnataka Congress President, expressed his happiness and gratitude for the party's comfortable victory in the Karnataka state assembly Elections.

While the counting of votes was underway, Shivakumar broke down while thanking the cadres for their endless support. The Congress has crossed the half-way mark of 113 and Shivakumar thanked the voters for believing in his party and giving it a chance to serve them.

Here is a brief information about DK Shivakumar and his political Journey.

Who is DK Shivakumar?

Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar was born on May 15th, 1962.

Shivakumar is a seven-time MLA since 1989 and has been appointed as a minister several times. 

Shivakumar was born in Kanakapura, Karnataka. He belongs to the Vokkaliga community.

Shivakumar has a younger brother named D. K. Suresh, who is also a politician.

In 1993, Shivakumar got married to Usha and has two daughters, Aishwarya and Aabharana, and a son Aakash.

Shivakumar holds a Master's degree in Political Science from Karnataka State Open University, Mysore. 

Political journey of DK Shivakumar

• In 1985, Shivakumar was chosen as a Congress party candidate for the Sathanur constituency in the legislative elections, where he contested against the political heavyweight of Janata Party, H D Deve Gowda. Though he lost by a small margin.

• In 1987, at the age of 27, Shivakumar was elected as MLA after contesting as an independent candidate from the Sathanur assembly constituency.
   
• In 1989, after being elected as a member of the Bangalore Rural Zilla Panchayat, Shivakumar faced a political conspiracy from within the Congress Party and was denied a ticket to contest in the 1989 elections.
   
• In 1991, when Veerendra Patil was unable to continue as Chief Minister due to his health, Shivakumar played a crucial role in getting S Bangarappa elected as his successor and supported him. Shivakumar was then appointed as Minister of State for Prisons and Home Guards, serving from 1991 to 1992.
   
• In 1999, Shivakumar played a major role in convincing S M Krishna to contest for a Rajya Sabha seat and extended his full support, helping him emerge as an unbeatable winner with over 139 seats in the Assembly elections.
   
• In 2002, Shivakumar was appointed as the in-charge of the Urban Development Ministry and later became the Chairman of the Karnataka State Town Planning Board.
   
• In 2004, Shivakumar emerged as a winner from Sathanur in the Assembly elections.
   
• In 2013, Shivakumar was re-elected as an MLA from Sathanur in 2013 and held the position until 2018, during which he was appointed as the Minister of Energy in the government led by Siddaramaiah.
   
• In the 2018 State Elections, Shivakumar was re-elected from Kanakapura and went on to hold the position of Minister of Irrigation and Medical Education.
   
• Shivakumar was nominated by the Indian National Congress (INC) to contest in this assembly election from the Kanakapura constituency and won.

Achievements of DK Shivakumar

Shivakumar's political career started at a young age when he became a minister in the government under the leadership of late CM Shri Bangarappa at the age of 30. He served as Minister of State for Home, taking care of the Home Guards and Prisons Departments.

Shivakumar played a key role in initiating Rajiv Gandhi Yuva Shakthi Sanghatan and empowering youths to take up rural development and social work.

Shivakumar also played a major role in planning underpasses and flyovers for Karnataka, including the construction of K.R. Market flyover.

During 2013-2018, Shivakumar served as the Minister of Energy in Karnataka, and initiated the building of India's largest solar power plant in Pavagada, Tumkur.

Shivakumar's involvement and strategy in bringing victory in several crucial bi-polls, like Bellary and Bihar elections, is much valued in the Congress party. His role in winning the Rajya Sabha elections for Ahmed Patel in Gujarat by uniting the party was widely appreciated by the Congress.