Energy Minister DK Shivakumar is one of the most successful Congress leaders in Karnataka. He tasted political success in the 1980s when he was very young. He is known to not just keep winning for himself but can ensure victories for party men in the constituencies he is entrusted with. He has plenty of money: the man has officially declared assets worth Rs 618 crore. At 55, Shivakumar is not just young, politically speaking, he also comes from the numerically strong Vokkaliga community. It is precisely because of this combination of factors that the five-time MLA is seen as a future chief minister after the current crop of senior leaders fade. And, he is waiting patiently.
On the negative side, he has a big image issue. In 2013, after Siddaramaiah took over as chief minister, he came under tremendous pressure from activists led by freedom fighter HS Doreswamy who carried out a public campaign opposing Shivakumar’s inclusion in the Cabinet.
Shivakumar declared that he had Rs 618 crore worth assets, his wife, Usha, he said has assets worth Rs 112 crore. Compared to his declared assets of Rs 215 crore during the 2013 elections, Shivakumar&… Read More
Karunakar Rao
In August last year, Shivakumar made national headlines after he hosted a group of Gujarat Congress MLAs at a resort in Bengaluru to prevent cross voting in the Rajya Sabha elections in which AICC leader Ahmed Patel was a candidate. The senior Minister handled the task successfully, but faced a series of income tax raids which reportedly unearthed crores of undeclared income. Besides politics, he is also involved with a number of activities including running educational institutions, granite, and real estate businesses. While Shivakumar may settle tax claims and come out of it, it will take some time for the criminal cases the IT department has slapped on him — accusing him of trying to destroy evidence during the raids — to be resolved.
In the last three decades, DK, as he is popularly known, has grown from being a rude politician to a suave minister. Known for his organising skills and deep pockets, Shivakumar was chosen by his party to be chairman of the Congress’ campaign committee before the May 12 Assembly polls. The man commands some clout in the Vokkaliga belt of old Mysuru region, from where his younger brother DK Suresh is a Lok Sabha member. His focus now is to ensure a win for party men loyal to him across the state. If the Congress were to get a majority in the May 12 polls, and if Vokkaliga members get elected in large numbers, it will not be easy for the Congress to ignore his claim for the CM’s gaddi.
