I am D.K. Shivakumar, and finally, Chief Minister of Karnataka…

Bengaluru: Karnataka entered a new political chapter on Wednesday as veteran Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar was sworn in as the state’s Chief Minister, finally attaining the position he had aspired to for decades after a long and eventful political journey.

The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Glass House in Lok Bhavan, marking the end of Siddaramaiah’s tenure after the Congress high command directed him to step down. Siddaramaiah subsequently endorsed the elevation of his deputy, paving the way for Shivakumar’s rise to the state’s top post.

Along with Shivakumar, senior Congress leader Dr. G. Parameshwara took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister.

The ceremony was attended by senior Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, and several other party leaders.

Religious heads, students, farmers’ representatives, Dalit leaders, pourakarmikas and Kannada activists were also present in large numbers.

Known as the Congress party’s chief troubleshooter, the 64-year-old Shivakumar belongs to the influential Vokkaliga community of southern Karnataka and has never hidden his ambition to become Chief Minister.

Popularly known as ‘DKShi,’ his political career began at the age of 18 when he joined the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress. He later served as president of the NSUI’s Bengaluru district unit and subsequently rose through the ranks of the Youth Congress.

His willingness to take political risks became evident early in his career when, at just 23, he contested against former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda in the 1985 Assembly elections from Sathanur.

Though unsuccessful then, he went on to establish himself as a formidable force in Karnataka politics.

A major breakthrough came in 1999 when he defeated H.D. Kumaraswamy from the Sathanur constituency. His close association with former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna earned him a place in the state Cabinet. In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Shivakumar played a key role in Congress candidate Tejaswini’s victory over Deve Gowda in Kanakapura, strengthening his influence in the Bengaluru Rural region.

Over the years, Shivakumar faced several political and legal challenges. He was excluded from the Cabinet at different points, including during Siddaramaiah’s first tenure in 2013 amid allegations linked to illegal granite quarrying.

He later returned to the Cabinet following pressure from party leaders.

In 2019, he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case and spent several weeks in custody before securing bail. In 2020, the Central Bureau of Investigation registered a disproportionate assets case against him.

Despite these setbacks, Shivakumar remained one of the Congress party’s most influential leaders and was appointed Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president in 2020.

Widely credited with playing a crucial role in the Congress’s emphatic victory in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, Shivakumar had since served as Deputy Chief Minister while waiting for an opportunity to occupy the top post.

His elevation comes after years of balancing ambitions with party discipline and navigating internal power equations within the Congress.

Shivakumar is also recognized for his strong focus on infrastructure and urban development. During his tenure as Deputy Chief Minister, he championed several ambitious proposals aimed at transforming Bengaluru, including underground tunnel corridors, satellite townships, Cauvery-linked water projects and plans for a second international airport to cater to the city’s rapidly growing population.

Much of his political identity has been shaped in Kanakapura, the constituency he has represented for decades. Popularly called the ‘Kanakapura Bande’ or ‘Rock of Kanakapura,’ Shivakumar transformed the region through infrastructure development, water projects and extensive grassroots outreach, turning it into one of the Congress party’s strongest bastions in Karnataka.

With declared assets worth Rs 1,413 crore, Shivakumar also becomes the wealthiest Chief Minister in the country.

For Shivakumar, Wednesday’s swearing-in ceremony was more than a transfer of power. It marked the culmination of a political journey spanning over four decades — from a student activist in Bengaluru to the Chief Minister’s office in Karnataka, fulfilling an ambition he had pursued with determination, patience and persistence.