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The seven-time MLA and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, D.K. Shivakumar, is among the richest politicians successful the State. Hailing from a humble agrarian Vokkaliga family, his emergence and dominance successful Karnataka authorities is the effect of hard enactment and assiduous grassroots management, coupled with fiscal muscle. Over the years, helium has earned his stripes arsenic the Congress’s trouble-shooter successful Karnataka.
‘I volition talk tomorrow’: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah says, amid speech of powerfulness transition
The 60-year-old, who declared full household assets of ₹1,358 crore successful his predetermination affidavit this year, is starring the Congress from the beforehand for the coming Karnataka Assembly election, adjacent arsenic helium is nether the probe of aggregate agencies specified arsenic Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and Central Bureau of Investigation for his alleged wealth laundering and income taxation evasion cases.
Mr. Shivakumar, who was arrested successful transportation with a wealth laundering lawsuit successful 2019, had played a important relation successful keeping the party’s flock unneurotic aft the 2018 Assembly election, resulting successful the Congress going connected to stitch a post-poll alliance. This had denied the BJP, the azygous largest party, a accidental to signifier the government. The Congress linked his apprehension to this occurrence and billed it “vendetta” politics. Later, helium secured bail and walked retired of Delhi’s Tihar Jail aft spending 50 days. The MLA, who has his ain enactment basal successful the Old Mysore region, was brought successful an unfastened car successful a procession from the airport, successful an effort to formed his apprehension arsenic an “insult” to the Vokkaliga community.
In a setback, the High Court of Karnataka precocious dismissed a petition filed successful 2020 by Mr. Shivakumar questioning the legality of the consent fixed by the State authorities successful September 2019 to the CBI to probe connected the allegation that helium person ₹74.93 crore assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. However, determination is simply a enactment granted by the Court successful February, 2023, for further probe being conducted by the CBI by registering a transgression lawsuit for allegedly possessing DA. This petition is pending adjudication.
Electoral debut
Mr. Shivakumar’s archetypal foray into electoral authorities was successful the 1985 Assembly predetermination against erstwhile Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, a formidable person of the undivided Janata Party successful the erstwhile Sathanur constituency. Mr. Shivakumar mislaid that battle. In the 1989 Assembly election, the Congress returned to powerfulness and Mr. Shivakumar won arsenic the enactment campaigner from Sathanur. He became a Minister for Prisons astatine the property of 30 successful the S. Bangarappa Cabinet successful 1991-92. Since then, helium has not mislaid an election.
In the 1999 elections, Mr. Shivakumar defeated erstwhile Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy (JD-S) successful Sathanur. This was the opening of a long-standing governmental rivalry betwixt the Deve Gowda household and Mr. Shivakumar. He came to beryllium known arsenic a “giant killer”. Mr. Shivakumar roseate to governmental prominence successful the S.M. Krishna-led Congress authorities (1999-2004) by holding the Urban Development and Cooperation portfolio. Many governmental commentators spot this arsenic the play of the meteoric emergence successful his fortunes, successful some authorities and business.
In simultaneous elections held to the Lok Sabha and the Karnataka Assembly successful 2004, Mr. Shivakumar fought hard for the triumph of TV writer and Congress campaigner Tejaswini Gowda (now BJP MLC), against Mr. Gowda successful the Kanakapura Lok Sabha constituency. In the Assembly election, the Congress mislaid but Mr. Shivakumar managed to triumph the seat. In the Dharam Singh-led Congress-JD (S) authorities (2004-05), Mr. Gowda is learnt to person “settled scores” by keeping the S.M. Krishna-Shivakumar duo retired of power.
The Congress returned to powerfulness successful 2013 and Mr. Shivakumar was inducted into the Cabinet by Mr. Siddaramaiah, though small aboriginal pursuing allegations of the “tainted image” against the former. In 2014, the BJP swept the Lok Sabha predetermination but Mr. Shivakumar ensured the triumph of his brother, D.K. Suresh. Now, Mr. Suresh is the lone Congress Lok Sabha subordinate from Karnataka.
His proximity to the cardinal enactment and quality for micro governmental absorption person made him the go-to antheral for situations specified arsenic safeguarding MLAs from Gujarat astatine a edifice connected the outskirts of Bengaluru successful 2017 oregon ensuring the triumph of Ahmed Patel successful Rajya Sabha polls successful the aforesaid year. The edifice they were staying successful was searched by IT officials. In June 2002, Mr. Shivakumar conducted a akin task erstwhile Maharashtra Congress Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh faced a no-trust motion. After the 2018 fractured mandate successful the Karnataka Assembly, Mr. Shivakumar played a captious relation successful forming the conjugation authorities led by H.D. Kumaraswamy, by leaving speech the long-standing governmental animosity with the Deve Gowda family. But his efforts to prevention the conjugation authorities was futile erstwhile 14 MLAs of the enactment joined the BJP which led to the enactment of the BJP government.
This time, successful the crippled of one-upmanship with Mr. Siddaramaiah, Mr. Shivakumar has publically announced his ambition of becoming the CM. The Vokkaliga strongman, who said helium volition region his beard aft becoming the CM, believes this predetermination is his champion accidental for winning the apical job, though helium has repeatedly stated that it is yet the enactment precocious bid that volition instrumentality the call.
