D. K. Shivakumar
Chief Minister of Karnataka since 2026
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Through Indian National Congress, Bengaluru and Rajya Sabha
Shivakumar 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.
Early and personal life
Shivakumar was born in Doddalahalli, a village in Kanakapura, Bengaluru South district, Karnataka, to Kempegowda and Gowramma. He belongs to the Vokkaliga community. D. K. Suresh, who is also a politician, is his younger brother.
Shivakumar studied at St. Rita School, Kanakapura, and at National Public School, Carmel School, and Vidyavardhaka School in Bengaluru. He then did his B.A. from Sri Jagadguru Renukacharya College, Bengaluru. In 2006, he completed his M.A. from the Karnataka State Open University.
Shivakumar married Usha in 1993. They have three children: two daughters, Aishwarya and Aabharana, and a son, Aakash. His elder daughter is married to Amartya, the son of Café Coffee Day founder V. G. Siddhartha. He is one of the richest politicians in India.
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Political career
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 the Mysuru district. He was just 27 years old at the time and contested the election on a Congress ticket. Shivakumar went on to win re-election from the same constituency in the subsequent assembly elections in 1994, 1999 and 2004. He won from Kanakapura constituency in 2008, 2013, 2018 and 2023.
Vilasrao Deshmukh, during his tenure as Chief Minister of Maharashtra, worked closely with Shivakumar when he faced the motion of no confidence in 2002. Shivakumar hosted the Maharastra legislators in his resort located on the outskirts of Bangalore for a week until the date of the vote. This saved Deshmukh's government.
Just before his election to the Rajya Sabha in 2017 from Gujarat, he assisted his party leadership to move 42 Gujarat Congress MLAs into his resort in Bengaluru to avoid them moving to another political party. Subsequently, this helped Ahmed Patel to win the election.
He is credited with playing a critical role in the formation of the coalition government of Indian National Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka following the 2018 election.
He is also a close confidante of party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Shivakumar is among the richest politicians in India. While filing his nomination for election in 2018, he declared total assets of ₹840 crore.
On 2 July 2020,D. K. Shivakumar officially took as Karnataka PCC president succeeding Dinesh Gundu Rao.
On 20 May 2023, D. K. Shivakumar became the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka following the victory of the Congress party in the 2023 election.
Chief Minister of Karnataka (2026–present)
After Siddaramaiah stepped down as Chief Minister in May 2026,D. K. Shivakumar was seen as the front-runner for the post. He was sworn as Chief Minister on 3 June.