evidence: A master strategist, Shivakumar took over the reins of the Congress in Karnataka in 2020. It was at a time when the party was in tatters following a mass desertion of MLAs that led to the collapse of its coalition with the Janata Dal (Secular). The morale of the cadres was at its lowest, following constant electoral drubbings in rest of India, too. But Shivakumar, popularly known as Kanakapurada bande (Kanakapura’s rock), managed to pull the party out of its desolation. He transformed the party organisation by spawning tech-savvy digital booths at the village level and went all out to take on the Modi-Shah juggernaut in the May 2023 assembly polls. The BJP was reduced to 66 seats, with the Congress winning 135 of 224 seats in the assembly. The formidable duo of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar pulled off the impressive feat together. While Siddaramaiah became chief minister, Shivakumar was persuaded to be deputy chief minister. [...] - CM Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Congress protest condemning harassment by ED, CBI - Supreme Court dismisses Shivakumar’s plea against CBI - ‘BJP father of scams,’ says Shivakumar as Karnataka opposition protests alleging rampant corruption