The Kingmaker’s Coronation: DK Shivakumar’s Decades-Long Journey To Karnataka’s Top Job

Key points

• The Kingmaker’s Coronation: DK Shivakumar’s Decades-Long Journey To Karnataka’s Top Job Written By, Last Updated: June 03, 2026, 16:54 IST Shivakumar’s rise to the CM chair is a testament to his indispensable nature within the Congress machinery DK Shivakumar has been sworn in as Karnataka’s new chief minister.
• File pic/PTI In a definitive recalibration of Southern politics, DK Shivakumar is taking the reins as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka.
• Renowned as the ultimate troubleshooter for the Congress party, the Vokkaliga strongman’s ascension to the state’s highest executive office after Siddaramaiah stepping down marks the culmination of decades of ruthless organisational building, strategic patience, and unparalleled crisis management.
• By emerging from the shadows of kingmaking to claim the crown himself, Shivakumar inherits a robust but highly complex governance model, signalling a dramatic shift in how the state will be managed moving into the late 2020s.
• Known colloquially across the political...