Karnataka Assembly Election 2023: Congress' DK Shivakumar looks to upset BJP applecart

Karnataka Assembly Election 2023: Congress' DK Shivakumar looks to upset BJP applecart 

One of the wealthiest politicians in the fray in Karnataka Assembly polls 2023, seven-time-MLA Doddalahalli Kempegowda (DK) Shivakumar currently serves as the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). Belonging to the Vokkaliga community, Shivakumar was the state minister of irrigation in the cabinet of HD Kumaraswamy and prior to that served as the Minister of Energy in the Siddaramaiah Government.

Since 2008, Shivakumar has been winning from Kanakapura in the Ramanagara district near Bengaluru. In 2008, he won by a margin of 7,179 votes; five years later, it was 31,424 votes; and in 2018, the margin stretched to 79,909 votes.

Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh are referred to as the DK brothers, and Kanakapura has served as their stronghold. Shivakumar won the Sathanur seat four times in a row, beginning in 1989 when he was just 27 years old until he transferred to the district in 2008 as a result of the delimitation. Shivakumar, who is running for re-election to the Assembly for the seventh time, has focused his campaign on his potential to succeed the current Chief Minister as the state's leader.

Karnataka Election 2023: Shivakumar in the firing line 

Shivakumar's appeal against Basavaraj Bommai government's decision to allow the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to look into the alleged crimes he committed under the Prevention of Corruption Act was recently rejected by the Karnataka High Court.

On October 3, 2020, a first information report (FIR) was filed against DK Shivakumar, stating that his assets had risen abnormally between 2013 and 2018.

The FIR states that as of April 30, 2018, Shivakumar and his family's total assets were 162.53 crore, up from 33.92 crore in mobile and immovable assets they had in April 2013 and 128.6 crore in assets they had acquired by 2018.

Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, the leaders of the party, see him as a close confidant. Shivakumar, one of India's wealthiest politicians announced his total assets of Rs 840 crore.

Karnataka Election 2023: Shivakumar visits Chamundeshwari temple in Mysuru 

Shivakumar visited Mysuru less than 24 hours before the commencement of polling for the Assembly elections and proceeded to Chamundeshwari temple along with the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Karnataka Election 2023: Schedule

Single-phase Karnataka Assembly Election has been scheduled on May 10, 2023 (Wednesday).
The counting of votes will be done on May 13, 2023 (Saturday).
In an Assembly of 224 seats, the majority mark is 113.