From Kanakapura To Chief Minister: DK Shivakumar's Political Journey

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:01]Namaskcara DK Shiva Kumar. That's what Karnataka is now saying. After years of speculation, a man who's been waiting in the wings for his right at the throne here in Karnataka is finally getting his shot. No longer deputy chief minister, but Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. That's what he will be now. But this is a journey that has taken patience, grit, determination, commitment, loyalty, and many knives in the dark for him to get to this point. This was a high command that made a promise, a high command that delayed a decision, and a high command that finally realized they couldn't hold down a person like DK Shiva any longer.

[00:00:46]Over the next 30 minutes, we bring you not just a profile of the man who is all set to be the Chief Minister of Karnataka, but the fight, the war, the battles that lie before him as he takes on the biggest position of his life.

[00:01:07]Beyond Karnataka, he's called the crisis manager, the troubleshooter, the go-to man when you're having sleepless nights as far as the Congress is concerned. But the strong man of Kanakapur, our eight-term MLA is now set to become the chief minister of Karnataka. It's been a journey that few can fully understand.

[00:01:25]It goes beyond just the never say die attitude. This was a man who learned early on never to take no for an answer.

[00:01:33]He waited patiently. He weaponized his patience and he decided that once he had his eye on the chair, he wasn't going to give up until he got it. This is the journey of DK Shiva Kuban [music] for years. DK Shiva Kumar kept the speculation alive. Every question on whether he would become chief minister was answered differently.

[00:02:10]Carefully calibrated, never rebellious, but always signaling one thing. Sedaraya would eventually have to make way.

[00:02:19]>> I will come. Good time with me.

[00:02:24]>> And now that moment has arrived. [music] In what may be one of the smoothest part transitions in recent Karnataka politics, DKS is all set to take charge.

[00:02:34]After a long political wait marked by patience, persistence and power negotiations, DK Shiva Kumar's rise began under former Chief Minister SM Krishna. By the early 2000s, the Kanakpura MLA had already emerged as one of the key power centers in Karnataka Congress politics. Seen as Krishna's political protetéé, DKS built deep networks in both Bengaluru and Delhi.

[00:03:06]But Karnataka Congress politics changed dramatically after 2004. The party shifted towards Siddhar Raaya's a hinda social coalition. Backward classes, minorities and dalits. DKS had to fight for political space under Siddharaya's towering influence.

[00:03:24]Even in 2013 when Congress returned to power, DKS openly projected himself as a CM contender. But Sidaraya denied him a cabinet birth initially before the high command intervened.

[00:03:38]His turning point came in 2020. Despite ED raids and arrest, Shiva Kumar stayed loyal to the Congress. Rewarding that loyalty, the party handed him the KPCC chief's post.

[00:03:52]DKS then transformed himself into the Congress party's organizational engine in Karnataka.

[00:04:00]While Sedaraya remained the mass face, Shiva Kumar managed the machinery.

[00:04:06]Before the 2023 election, DKS confidently predicted Congress would win 138 seats. The party came remarkably close. Since then, he steadily intensified pressure for what supporters called his promised turn. Now comes the biggest challenge yet. Becoming chief minister is one thing. Governing Karnataka with balancing Siddhar Raaya's influence, cast equations and Congress factions is another. For the eighttime MLA from Kanakpura, this is no longer about waiting for power. It is about proving he can hold it. With TM Viraav, NDTV bureau report.

[00:04:49]At many points in DK Shiva Kumar's political journey, his loyalty, his trust has come up for question, especially during times of upheaval.

[00:04:59]Will he drop the party? Will he abandon it? Will he betray the Gandhis? Will he dump them? In times of trouble, there have always been questions presented in the political atmosphere surrounding Karnataka. How much can DK Shivakumar wait? And how much can DK Shivakumar really take? He once said he will always be a loyal soldier of the Congress party and he still is.

[00:05:26]For an eight-time MLA, loyalty would never be in question. But then the question in politics keeps popping up.

[00:05:36]In 2023 when the Congress swept to power in Karnataka and Sidraaya became chief minister again everyone thought that it was unfair on DKS.

[00:05:47]Everything will be is well is going to be we have made a line resolution that whatever will abide by ultimately Rahul called me and said you all work together.

[00:06:04]A compromise had clearly been worked out within the Karnataka Congress camps and while Sidra maya remained chief minister it was announced that DK's Shivkumar would be the deputy chief minister of Karnataka.

[00:06:18]For years Rahul Gandhi's critics accused him of being a moral commentator [music] rather than a commander.

[00:06:26]in Karnataka and DKS's elevation to the CM post in 2026 is where this perception begins to change. Shivaumar will have about 2 years to prove his administrative hold on the state before Karnataka goes to the polls in 2028 and soon after will be the crucial Lok Sabha election of 2029.

[00:06:53]Who the chief minister of Karnataka [music] is is therefore not just about the state government. It is about whether the Congress can present itself in 2029 as capable of governing, renewing and disciplining [music] itself. Rahul Gandhi has reportedly issued key directives on the contours of the new government under Shivaumar.

[00:07:15]Sources have told NDTV that Rahul Gandhi wants greater representation for Dalits, OBC's and minorities in the new cabinet.

[00:07:24]This is key after the party's only OBC chief minister Siddharaya has been replaced.

[00:07:32]The political contrast between Siddaraya and his successor is stark. The former chief minister has the mass base and social coalition. The incumbent chief minister has the organizational muscle and a strong positioning as the man who had kept the party machinery alive.

[00:07:51]Siddharaya and Shivkumar are not merely rivals. They represent two different political vocabularies within the congress. Sidraaya is the old world socialist. The last of the enigmatic leaders thrown up by the Ja Kashnaran le anti- Congress movement from half a century ago. Even after he parted ways with his old comrades and joined the Congress, Sidraaya stood for [music] backward class assertion, welfare politics and ideological opposition to Hindutwa. Over the decades, Sidraaya never lost his mass connect. The Congress loyalist Shivakumar represents a very different quality. He's relentless. DKS as he is known is organizationally aggressive, resourceful, combative and willing to play politics as a full contact sport.

[00:08:44]Over and over again, Shiva Kumar proved his political worth to his party. In 2017, he accommodated 44 party legislators from Gujarat at a resort to prevent them from being poached by the BJP ahead of a crucial Rajya Sabha election. Soon after this, income tax officials raided several properties linked to Shivakumar.

[00:09:06]In 2018, Shivakumar showed his crisis management skills when he moved the Congress legislators to a resort in a bid to save the fragile HD Kumar Swami [music] Alliance government.

[00:09:19]In 2019, Shivakumar stood in the rain in front of hotel in Mumbai. Inside were the rebel Congress MLAs from Karnataka about to break the government in the state. Shivaumar refused to leave until he met the rebel Emila.

[00:09:35]>> I can't uh go like that. I've come here to meet my friends and the police commissioner has come and uh asked me that I said I can't live here. I come for a purpose.

[00:09:47]>> After the JDS Congress coalition government collapsed and the BJP took charge of Karnataka, DKS got the attention of the enforcement directorate. Shivakumar was arrested by the ED in September 2019 and sent to Thiarjin. Investigators alleged that the then 57year-old Shivakumar had not been paying taxes and made transactions worth crows of rupees.

[00:10:11]Walking out of Thiar, Shivakumar reiterated his commitment to his politics.

[00:10:19]DK Shivakumar remains one of the Congress's staunchest of leaders with the party sending him on crisis management missions to different parts of the country. Shivakumar's role as a troubleshooter has expanded beyond the borders of his state. In February 2024, he went to Himajal Pradesh to prevent the fall of the Sukinder Singh Suku government after six Congress MLAs voted against the party nominee in the Rajya Sabha poll. Shivaumar was the party's special observer for the 2023 Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls and the 2026 Assam Assembly polls as well. For now, Congressman DK Shivkumar's work is cut out for him. He may have achieved his dream of becoming the Chief Minister of Karnataka, but the next two years will be crucial for his political future. His ultimate test lies in the 2028 assembly elections.

[00:11:13]No government in Karnataka since 1985 has managed to secure a re-election. And so the critical challenge for CMDK Shiva Kumar will be whether he would be able to break in just 2 years a decade old political jinx in Karnataka.

[00:11:38]It would be an understatement to say that DK Shivakumar doesn't have huge challenges in front of him. It's not like he doesn't know how to administer.

[00:11:46]He has been deputy chief minister. But when you're Mukia Mantri, it's a completely different ballgame. From breaking the jinx of anti-inccumbancy to only two years left to the threat of a parallel power structure under Sidameaya to deciding what the cabinet is going to look like. There are major challenges in front of DK Shivakumar.

[00:12:08]And this is an electorate that is not going to be patient. They are going to want results as quickly as possible. And remember, only two years left for the next election.

[00:12:24]The Congress [music] has chosen change over continuity in Karnataka.

[00:12:29]After months of speculation and intense political negotiations, the party high command has decided that DK [music] Shivakumar will replace Siddar Raaya as chief minister.

[00:12:42]The timing of the transition is crucial.

[00:12:45]With assembly elections due in two years, the Congress believes a leadership change now could help counter anti-incumbency and energize the organization before the next electoral battle.

[00:12:59]For four decades, Karnataka has refused to reelect a ruling government.

[00:13:04]Even Sidar Rameaya despite completing a full term between 2013 and 2018 failed to return the Congress to power with the majority.

[00:13:15]The challenge before DK Shiva Kumar is clear rewrite Karnataka's political history but the transition also comes with risks.

[00:13:26]Congress leaders privately admit the move may upset sections of the Kuruba community, Siddhar Raaya's co-sup support base.

[00:13:34]To manage the fallout, the party is expected to elevate Sidar Ramaya's son Yatindra into a bigger political role.

[00:13:42]Internally too, the balancing act will be delicate.

[00:13:47]The new chief minister will need to keep both the Siddhar Ramaya and Shivakumar camps united to avoid factional tensions from resurfacing.

[00:13:56]Then comes governance. From Bengaluru's infrastructure wars to delivery on the welfare promises, the DKS government will face intense public scrutiny.

[00:14:07]The Greater Bengaluru authority elections expected in June are already being viewed as DK Shivakumar's first political and electoral test as chief minister.

[00:14:18]Beyond retaining Congress's traditional vote bank, Shiva Kumar will also attempt to expand support among vocal leaguers, minorities, Dalits, and younger urban voters.

[00:14:30]And waiting [music] in the wings will be an aggressive BJP JDS opposition alliance determined to turn every governance challenge into a political battle.

[00:14:41]For the Congress, the message is clear.

[00:14:44]This is not just a leadership transition. It's a high-risk political experiment aimed at winning Karnataka again in 2028. Bureau report NDTV.

[00:14:57]There is no conversation about DK Shivakumar without a conversation about the man he replaces. Siddharaya, a towering leader who made Ahinda his mass base here in Karnataka. The shadow of Sidraaya will be cast long and dark over politics of Karnataka for many many years possibly even decades to come.

[00:15:21]As DK Shivakumar becomes the chief minister the influence the shadow of Siddraaya simply cannot be denied.

[00:15:29]That's the kind of politician he wants.

[00:15:32]This could be a source of concern or even trouble for DK Shivakumar's chief ministership. But there's no sidest stepping the shadow of Siddraa.

[00:15:47]On January 7th, [music] 2026, Sidra Maya became the longest serving chief minister of Karnataka.

[00:15:54]He crossed the record 7 years and 7 months set by Daraja in two consecutive terms from 1972 to 1980.

[00:16:03]Sidra Maya is also the only other chief minister after wars to have completed a 5-year term in office in Karnataka.

[00:16:13]This was during his first tenure from 2013 to 2018.

[00:16:21]For a man rooted in the socialist ideology of Jantaapar for over two decades, he was known for his strident anti- Congress stance. But in a remarkable turnaround, not only did this feisty politician join the grand old party but went on to consolidate his position as one of the tallest leaders of South India. After 8 years and 8 days in office, the curtain finally [music] came down on Sidaraya's chief ministerial journey.

[00:16:50]On 28th of May 2026, Sidaraya stepped down from the state's top job and so ended a three-year long internal squabble of the Congress party in Karnataka.

[00:17:05]Till now it has been a smooth transition and that remains important because the 77year-old Siddharaya [music] continues to wield a considerable influence in electoral politics. Siddaraya commands votes rooted in the support from the Ainda communities. [music] Ainda a collective term for voters from marginalized and minority groups. A grouping that Sidaraya has identified with all [music] his life.

[00:17:39]Sidaraya was born into a farming family of the Kuruba cast in a small village in the Msuru region. He spent his early life battling economic deprivations.

[00:17:50]He was forced to discontinue education and had [music] to tend livestock.

[00:17:56]Things might have been different if his teachers had not helped him at that early age and got him admitted back to school. Sidraaya went to college in Mysore [music] and obtained a BSC degree. His father wanted him to become a doctor but he chose to do law.

[00:18:13]Like in other parts of the country in the Karnataka of the late 1960s and the early 1970s socialism had become the buzzword. The philosophy of Dr. Rammanohalya was impressing young Indians. One of them being the impressionable young lawyer Siddaraya.

[00:18:31]Sidraaya began participating in movements and a political career seemed inevitable in 1978 when he was elected [music] a district official to the Mysuru Taluk development board.

[00:18:45]In 1982 he became an MLA for the first time winning the Chamuneshwari seat as an independent candidate. Siddaya would go on to win that seat four more times [music] three with the Jantaadal and once with the comments.

[00:19:04]Throughout Siddra Ramaya's long political journey, he represented the concerns of the marginalized classes.

[00:19:11]And in the past two decades, he had cultivated and developed the Ahinda block as a viable contrast to the traditional lingayat versus the woka lia political dominance in the state.

[00:19:23]The Hinda block represents between 65 and 70% of the state's waters and Siddharaya's control of [music] that bank has always been critical for the Congress mostly because it allowed the party to circumvent the bipolar lingayat versus vocal lia landscape and it helped Sidaraya become chief minister twice.

[00:19:44][music] In 2013, Sidaraya took the oath as the 22nd chief minister of Karnataka. He had led the Congress in a triumphant return to power. [music] When Sidraaya became chief minister for the first time in 2013, it had only been 9 years since he had [music] quit the Jantaad Dal and 7 years since he had joined the Congress.

[00:20:08]With his JP and Lya leanings, it was natural for Sidraaya to join the Jantaadal. In 1985 he had swiftly risen through the ranks and in 1988 he had become the transport minister of Karnataka. In 1994 when the Jantaadal was next in power he became the finance minister. By the early 2000s Sidaraya had added a stint as deputy chief minister in an increasingly impressive resume.

[00:20:35]But soon he was realizing that the Jantaadal was not his ticket to greater heights. The Jantaadal boss HD Devora was grooming his son HD Kumaras Swami for the top post and Siddaraya had to do something differently. In 2004 he quit the Jantaadam and dedicated himself to cultivating the Ainda vote base. In 2006 when Siddharaya joined the Congress, it was this block that helped him gain importance as a valuable electoral asset in the state. Eventually, it propelled him to the chief minister's chair.

[00:21:13]Sidaraya's first term in office was marked by a slew of welfare initiatives and schemes which would become the bedrock of the [music] persona that continues to define him to this day.

[00:21:26]Because if there is one political moniker that marks out Sidaraya, it has to be the one that says man of the masses.

[00:21:34]Chief Minister or not, [music] there is no denying that Sidaraya remains a very strong and a very active force in Karnataka politics.

[00:21:49]What the Congress has managed to do is finally end the power tussle, the shadow boxing between Siddraaya and DK Shivakumar. But only that part of the challenge is over. The bigger battle, the bigger war of Karnataka has only just begun. How to break the jinx, what to do in the 2028 election, and how to deal with the many smaller and bigger battles that will now doubtless erupt on the battlefield that is Karnataka. DK Shiva Kumar is finally in the saddle.

[00:22:22]Let's see how he wages this war. Thanks for watching.