D.K. Shivakumar is Congress’s go-to man in times of crisis.
An unusual calm prevailed in the Karnataka assembly on May 19, as chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa of the BJP announced his resignation even before the floor test. A few seconds later, members of the new coalition— the Congress and the JD(S)—erupted in joy. All eyes turned to Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar, who waved a victory sign to the press gallery, even as he reached out to JD(S) president H.D. Kumaraswamy.
Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar, a trusted lieutenant of the Congress high command, once again proved that he was a master strategist by keeping all 78 Congress MLAs within the party fold. The 56-year-old Vokkaliga strongman is one of the richest MLAs in the state, with assets worth ₹840 crore. On May 15, as the results pointed towards a hung assembly, the Congress struck an alliance with the JD(S). Shivakumar swung into action, roped in the two independents MLAs, and moved the Congress legislators to the Eagleton resort in Bidadi, in the outskirts of Bengaluru.
This story is from the June 03, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.
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This story is from the June 03, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.
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