Who Is DK Shivakumar? Ace Congress Strategist & India's Second-Richest MLA, Set To Become Next Karnataka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday reportedly announced before his Cabinet colleagues that he was resigning from the top post following instructions from the Congress high command, formally paving the way for a smooth power transfer in the state government. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is set to succeed him.

Who Is DK Shivakumar?

Doddalahalli Kempegowda (DK) Shivakumar, born on May 15, 1962, is currently serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka since May 2023. He is also India's second and Karnataka's richest MLA, according to ADR.

He also holds the portfolios of Water Resources, Bengaluru Development and Town Planning, and serves as the Bengaluru Urban district in-charge.

Shivakumar has been the Karnataka Congress president since 2020. He previously served as the party's working president from 2008 to 2010 and as a Cabinet minister in the Government of Karnataka from 2014 to 2019.

Shivakumar is an eight-time MLA. He 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.

He belongs to the Vokkaliga community, which constitutes roughly 15% of the state's population.

Early life

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 Mysuru district. He was 27 years old at the time and contested the election on a Congress ticket.

Personal life

Shivakumar married Usha in 1993. The couple have two daughters, Aishwarya and Aabharana, and a son, Aakash.

Helped save the Congress govt in Maharashtra

Vilasrao Deshmukh, during his tenure as Chief Minister of Maharashtra, worked closely with Shivakumar when he faced a no-confidence motion in 2002. Shivakumar hosted Congress MLAs at his resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru for a week until the date of the vote, helping save Deshmukh's government.