DK Shivakumar became Congress’s troubleshooter in Karnataka, saved the government in Maharashtra in 2002 as well

Karnataka Election Result 2023: Congress leader DK Shivakumar, who looked emotional on Saturday (May 13) after the results came in favor of his party in the Karnataka elections, has played the role of a troubleshooter for the party not only in the 2023 assembly elections but also on many important occasions in the past. Shivakumar, a Congress party stalwart from the Vokkaliga community and a strong contender for the chief minister’s post, appeared emotional in front of television cameras when the results came in after intense campaigning across the state ahead of the elections.

Trusted ally of Gandhi family

In fact, the Vokkaligas associated with agriculture are the second most influential community in Karnataka after the Lingayats. Shivkumar, an eight-time MLA from the same community, is considered a trusted aide of the Gandhi family and a “troubleshooter” for the party. He was quite active in Maharashtra in 2002, when the then Vilasrao Deshmukh-led government won a no-confidence motion.

A Congress leader recalled, “When Deshmukh faced the no-confidence motion, he came in contact with Shivkumar. As a troubleshooter, Shivakumar put up the Maharashtra MLAs at his resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru for a week till the date of the trust vote. This step saved the Deshmukh government.

‘The victory of late Ahmed Patel was confirmed’

According to another party leader, Shivakumar was also “instrumental” in ensuring the victory of the late Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat in 2017, when he put up Congress MLAs from Gujarat at a resort. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had registered a money laundering case in September 2018 against Shivakumar, A Hanumanthaiah, an employee of Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, and others.

The case was based on a charge sheet filed by the Income Tax Department against Shivakumar and others before a Bengaluru court for alleged tax evasion and hawala transactions. The Income Tax Department has accused Shivakumar and his associate SK Sharma of regularly transferring large amounts of unaccounted cash through hawala channels with the help of three other accused. Several raids were conducted by the Income Tax Department and ED and cases were registered against them.

The ED had arrested Shivakumar on September 3, 2019, after intensive questioning under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He got bail on October 23, 2019. The ED filed a chargesheet against Shivakumar on May 26, 2022, under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

‘We will give after winning Karnataka’

The ‘Association for Democratic Reforms’ has said in its report that Congress state president Shivkumar will contest in 2023. karnataka assembly electionsHe is the third richest candidate with assets of Rs 1,413 crore. Born in Kanakapura on May 15, 1962, to Doddalahalli Kempe Gowda and Gouramma, Shivakumar has been a loyal Congressman since the beginning. He started his political career as a student leader in the 1980s and gradually moved up in the party.

Shivakumar contested his first election from Sathanur assembly constituency in 1989 when he was only 27 years old. When the 2023 assembly results were announced on Saturday, Shivakumar said with tears in his throat, “I give the credit of this victory to the party workers and leaders. People reposed faith in us and leaders supported us. This is collective leadership and we worked together.

“I had told Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge that we will win Karnataka and give it,” said Shivakumar, who is considered the main contender for the chief minister’s post. He continued his winning streak by defeating senior BJP leader and six-time MLA Revenue Minister R Ashok.

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