BENGALURU: A moment caught fleetingly by cameras at Talacauvery speaks volumes about Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s biggest support, his wife Usha, who sat beside him, her hand pressing gently against his. It was a small gesture that said a lot about the person behind the most powerful man in the state, who has chosen to be at his side, quietly and consistently.
It is not a one-off cameo. Shivakumar’s wife has walked beside him on most of his temple visits, and sits attentively when dignitaries call on him at his residence. Usha’s is a rare, understated presence as she presents the face of a stable first family.
It is a contrast to the story of his immediate predecessor. Through former CM Siddaramaiah’s eight years in office, across two terms, his wife Parvathi was almost never seen beside him in public — not at temples or campaign trail or at a ceremonial function. The public is largely unaware of her appearance, and her absence has puzzled political watchers.
Years before former CM BS Yediyurappa first took office in 2007, his wife Mythra Devi died in 2004, drowning in a water tank at their Shivamogga home. He never remarried, and through his four terms in the state’s highest office, Yediyurappa has governed without a partner beside him.
Then there are women who chose visibility, like Basavaraj Bommai’s wife Chennamma, a familiar, warm presence at public functions throughout his tenure.
DV Sadananda Gowda’s wife Datty was another first lady who was constantly at his side. Jagadish Shettar’s wife Shilpa went further — stepping on to the campaign trail, knocking on doors and rallying crowds for her husband.
Anita Kumaraswamy, wife of HD Kumaraswamy, belongs in a category entirely her own. She was not just a supportive wife but also an elected MLA, first from Madhugiri and later from Ramanagara. She sat in the Legislative Assembly as a lawmaker with her husband, and is among the rare women in Karnataka’s history who have built their own political identity.
Further back, the late SM Krishna — the man credited with turning Bengaluru into India’s technology capital — was almost always seen with his wife, Prema Krishna, at his side at public events, quietly setting an early template for what a chief-ministerial couple should look like in public life. As political analyst BS Murthy says, “People love to see a loving couple at the helm.’’
A chief minister’s spouse carries soft power and is a simple, human face of the state’s first family, a face which exudes warmth in the often harsh world of politics.
