Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Shivakumar’s First 100 Days Bring Hands-On Governance and U-Turns
D K Shivakumar has completed 100 days as Karnataka’s chief minister.
During this time, he made some important decisions and faced several problems.
His government said that shorter versions of Vande Mataram would usually be sung at official events.
Shivakumar also visited a large market without much notice to hear from farmers, workers and traders.
A judge praised the visit and the action ordered afterward.
His government faced trouble when a minister resigned over a money-related scandal.
It also slowed a land project because many farmers opposed the land acquisition.
The government withdrew a parks law after people worried it could harm important park areas and Lalbagh.
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar completed 100 days in office after succeeding Siddaramaiah.
The government ruled that only Vande Mataram’s first two paragraphs would be sung at government functions, with six stanzas when central leaders or the governor attend.
Shivakumar’s surprise visit to Bengaluru’s APMC drew praise from a Karnataka High Court judge after he met farmers, laborers and traders.
Minister B Nagendra resigned 24 days after joining the cabinet over allegations linked to the ₹186 crore Valmiki Backwardclass Development Board scam.
The government slowed land acquisition for Bidadi Township and withdrew the Karnataka Parks (Preservation) Act 2026 after criticism over development in parks, including Lalbagh.
- Who
- Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, his government, farmers, laborers, traders, ministers and political colleagues.
- What
- Shivakumar completed 100 days in office while handling cabinet challenges, policy changes, land-acquisition resistance and a parks-law controversy.
- When
- The report covers Shivakumar’s first 100 days in office; it also describes his surprise APMC visit on the Wednesday before publication.
- Where
- Karnataka, including Bengaluru’s APMC, Bidadi on Bengaluru’s outskirts and Lalbagh.
- Why
- The government made or reversed decisions in response to administrative challenges, political disagreements, public resistance and concerns about development projects.
Government and Project Supporters
Critics and Affected Groups
APMC visit
Government and Project Supporters
The government presented the surprise visit as direct, hands-on administration and ordered action concerning laborers and child laborers.
Critics and Affected Groups
The visit could be characterized as a political gimmick, although the cited High Court judge said it was still a positive move.
Bidadi land acquisition
Government and Project Supporters
The township project required land acquisition on Bengaluru’s outskirts.
Critics and Affected Groups
Many landowners, mostly farmers, resisted the acquisition and were divided along party lines, leading the government to slow the process.
Parks legislation and Lalbagh
Government and Project Supporters
The law permitted 5% of parks to be used for development activities.
Critics and Affected Groups
Critics viewed the legislation as a way to facilitate Bengaluru’s tunnel-road project under Lalbagh and warned that it could damage the site’s three-million-year-old rock, after which the government withdrew the law.
- Chief minister
- D K Shivakumar
- Milestone
- 100 days in office
- Vande Mataram rule
- The first two paragraphs are to be sung at government functions; six stanzas are to be recited when central leaders or the governor attend.
- APMC visit
- Shivakumar met farmers, laborers and traders, ate at the market canteen and ordered action after seeing child laborers.
- Cabinet resignation
- Minister B Nagendra quit 24 days after induction over his reported connection to the ₹186 crore Valmiki Backwardclass Development Board scam.
- Bidadi Township
- Land acquisition was slowed after farmers and other landowners resisted the project.
- Parks legislation
- The Karnataka Parks (Preservation) Act 2026 was withdrawn about a week after Assembly passage.