HUBBALLI: Channabasappa Shivalli was known as a gentleman man with a humble background in the political circle. He accepted both success and defeat with humility, say people close to him. Having an average educational background, he started his public life by heading Dr Rajkumar Youth Association and proved his organisational capacity. He started his political life as a member of the Karnataka Congress Party (KCP), launched by former CM S Bangarappa in the early 1990s.
He was unsuccessful when he contested his first assembly election in 1994 on a KCP ticket from Kundgol, but polled a handsome number of votes against Congress and Janata Dal candidates. His second attempt in 1999 was successful and he won the Kundgol seat as an independent candidate.
Later, he unsuccessfully fought elections in 2004 and 2008, but taking advantage of the split in the BJP, Shivalli was again elected to the assembly in 2013. In the election he fought in May 2018, he scraped through with a margin of 634 votes against S I Chikkanagouar. “His caste (Kuruba) brought him close to Siddaramaiah,” an analyst said.