It has been rollercoaster for Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar during his first 100 days in the hot seat. The milestone has been marked by new schemes, public measures and not a few controversies. Over the past three months, Shivakumar has announced major decisions, cleared investments of over ₹43,000 crore and unveiled a vision for building a $1-trillion state economy with what he terms ‘druda sankalpa’ (literally, strong resolve). Knowing well that he cannot rest on the goodwill of the five welfare guarantees that are synonymous with former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar introduced a sixth Bhu Guarantee scheme to digitise and regularise land records. Upgrade of irregular property records to compliant status brought in some much-needed revenues. The initial dynamism has not worn out yet—the administration is still cracking the whip on garbage and debris littering, clearing footpaths and fixing potholes, with Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda at the helm.
But some of Shivakumar’s big-ticket projects for Bengaluru have run into opposition. The 7,500-acre Bidadi township project has been put on the back-burner and the Parks Amendment Bill has been withdrawn. The opposition also forced U-turn on a tunnel road scything through the city’s prime lung-space of Lalbagh. These retractions have somewhat soured the image of a hands-on Chief Minister.
The political interregnum has been tense, too, with DKS inducting former minister B Nagendra, who is facing charges related to a financial fraud at Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation. A sustained opposition campaign forced Nagendra to resign for a second time. There is also fresh trouble in the form of Enforcement Directorate raids on Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, whose business interests abroad are being probed. Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan is being questioned on the I-Monetary Advisory ponzi scheme that ended former Congressman Roshan Baig’s career. On personnel choices, another sticking point is the lack of women in the ministry.
DKS’s vision for the state by 2037—featuring Maha Sankalpa and Nava Sankalpa for the economy and the Mekedatu and Yettinahole irrigation projects—is being likened to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Viksit Bharat 2047. But with just over a year left to prove his mettle before the next Assembly election, Shivakumar is prioritising high-visibility development projects. The people of the state are waiting for the results.