Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with Shamanuru Shivashankarappa during a mass wedding celebration organised to mark the 95th birthday of the senior Congress leader in Davanagere on June 16, 2025.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Veteran Congress leader and Davanagere South MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa passed away due to multi-organ failure and age-related complications at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Sunday (December 14, 2025) evening. He was 94.
The senior most legislator in Karnataka, and one of the senior most in the country, Mr. Shivashankarappa was the National president of the Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha and a tall leader of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community.
Born on June 16, 1931, in Davanagere, Mr. Shivashankarappa rose from a modest background to become a tall figure in Karnataka’s public life. Over a long political career, he left a distinct imprint in politics, education, industry and social service, and was widely respected across party lines for his organisational abilities and mass connect.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, former Chief Ministers H.D. Kumaraswamy and Basavaraj Bommai, besides several senior political leaders cutting across party lines expressed condolences over his death.
Mr. Shivashankarappa was admitted to Sparsh Hospital in Bengaluru on October 23 with a lung infection. Hospital chairman Sharan Shivaraj Patil said the veteran leader passed away at 6.28 p.m. on Sunday (December 14) despite sustained medical care.
“He had been under treatment at our hospital for nearly 45 to 50 days. He was admitted with a lung infection and age-related complictions, following which his condition gradually worsened and led to multi-organ failure,” he said.
Earlier, his son and Horticulture and Mines and Geology Minister S.S. Mallikarjun had said that his father’s condition was stable and that he was expected to be discharged soon. However, his health worsened later on.
Published – December 14, 2025 09:00 pm IST
