BENGALURU: A plethora of leaders — representing the range of the political spectrum — was present at one of the biggest political weddings on Sunday, as KPCC President D K Shivakumar’s daughter Aisshwarya married Amartya Hegde, grandson of former Chief Minister S M Krishna. Amartya is the son of Cafe Coffee Day founder V G Siddhartha and Krishna’s daughter Malavika.
The wedding was held at the Sheraton Grand in Whitefield, where Opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh and Opposition leader Siddaramaiah were among the early visitors.
The bonhomie among arch political rivals was on display when Chief Minsters B S Yediyurappa, and ministers Basavraj Bommai, V Somanna and Murugesh Nirani walked on to the stage. Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who has been increasingly critical of the Congress, was also welcomed on stage. The acrimony of Operation Lotus and the recent Council brouhaha appeared forgotten.
While the Shivakumar family had sent out around 800 invites, there were at least 1,000 gatecrashers who entered without valid invitations. The reception is scheduled on February 17 at a private location, which the family is trying to keep a secret to avoid gatecrashers.
Family in tears
Though the Shivakumar and Hegde residences are but minutes away from each other in Sadashivanagar, tears flowed as Aisshwarya got ready to move to her new home. Shivakumar wept profusely, as did wife Usha and brother, MP D K Suresh, daughter Abharana and son Aakash. Videos of Aisshwarya dancing during the sangeet ceremony, where again Shivakumar was in tear, have gone viral.