After a wait of three years, D.K. Shivakumar is finally set to become the chief minister of Karnataka, the summit of a political career that began, improbably, in defeat. In 1985, while just 23, DKS lost his first assembly contest in Sathanur to Janata Dal strongman H.D. Deve Gowda, the former prime minister. He has not lost an assembly election since. Four decades and eight consecutive MLA terms later, the long climb has ended at the top job.
