K. M. Shivalinge Gowda

K. M. Shivalinge Gowda (born 14 February 1958) is an Indian politician from Karnataka who serves as the Minister of Excise in the Government of Karnataka. A member of the Indian National Congress, he is a four-time member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the Arsikere constituency in Hassan district.

Gowda was associated with the Janata Dal (Secular) before joining the Congress ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election. He won Arsikere for the fourth consecutive time in 2023.

He was inducted into the Karnataka Cabinet for the first time on 3 August 2026 and was allocated the Excise portfolio on 12 August 2026. He also serves as the minister in charge of Hassan district.

Early life and education

Shivalinge Gowda was born on 14 February 1958 in Kudukundi village in Arsikere taluk of Hassan district, Karnataka.

He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree from Government Arts College, Hassan, under the University of Mysore in 1980.

Personal life

Gowda is married to H. D. Pushpavathi. The couple have three children: a son, Dr. Adarsh S. Gowda, and two daughters, S. Manasa and Shubhashree.

In March 2011, his elder daughter, Manasa, drew public attention in March 2011 when she chose to marry in a mass-marriage ceremony held in Arsikere, in which 71 couples were married.

His younger daughter Shubhashree also married at a mass-marriage ceremony in Arsikere in February 2013.

His son, Dr. Adarsh S. Gowda, is a medical professional and is also involved in public service and youth and community activities.

Early political career

Shivalinge Gowda's involvement in public life began during his student years. He served as secretary of the students' union at Government College in Hassan and later as a director of the Gandasi Seva Sahakara Sangha, a cooperative institution in the region.

He subsequently entered local electoral politics and served as a member of the Hassan Zilla Panchayat from 2001 to 2006.

Political career

2004 Assembly election

Gowda first contested a Karnataka Legislative Assembly election in 2004 as the Janata Dal (Secular) candidate from the then Gandasi Assembly constituency. He lost to Congress candidate B. Shivaramu by 18 votes. Shivaramu received 52,781 votes, while Gowda polled 52,763 votes.

Member of the Legislative Assembly

Gowda was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly for the first time in 2008 from Arsikere as a JD(S) candidate. He received 74,025 votes and defeated Congress candidate G. V. Siddappa, who received 39,799 votes, by a margin of 34,226 votes.

He was re-elected from Arsikere in the 2013 Assembly election. Gowda polled 76,579 votes against 46,948 votes received by Congress candidate B. Shivaramu, winning by a margin of 29,631 votes.

In the 2018 Assembly election, Gowda won the constituency for a third consecutive term. He received 93,986 votes, while Congress candidate G. B. Shashidhara received 50,297 votes, giving Gowda a margin of 43,689 votes.

Legislative activity

During the 2018–2023 Karnataka Legislative Assembly, an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms recorded that Gowda attended 140 of the 150 sittings of the Assembly, an attendance rate of 93 per cent. The report recorded that he asked 327 questions during the term, comprising 22 starred questions and 305 unstarred questions.

PRS Legislative Research separately recorded his attendance during the term at 94.2 per cent, compared with a state average of 82.5 per cent.

Constituency issues

Agricultural distress and drinking-water shortages have been recurring issues in Arsikere. In 2018, The New Indian Express reported that more than nine lakh coconut palms had withered in Arsikere taluk following successive droughts. The report also identified fluorosis caused by high fluoride levels in groundwater as a problem affecting nearly 45 villages in the taluk.

The same report stated that Gowda and coconut growers had staged a five-day protest near Arsikere town seeking government attention to the problems faced by coconut farmers.

Karnataka Housing Board

In February 2019, during the Congress–JD(S) coalition government headed by Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy, Gowda was appointed chairman of the Karnataka Housing Board.

He was appointed chairman of the Karnataka Housing Board for a second time in January 2024, after his election as a Congress MLA. His appointment was among the chairmanships of state-run boards and corporations given to Congress legislators.

Departure from JD(S) and joining Congress

During the latter part of his third Assembly term, Gowda developed differences with the JD(S) leadership. In March 2023, he publicly indicated that he intended to join the Indian National Congress.

On 2 April 2023, Gowda submitted his resignation as an MLA to Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri. He said that differences between him and the JD(S) leadership had not been resolved and that supporters in his constituency favoured his move to the Congress.

Gowda formally joined the Indian National Congress on 9 April 2023 at a programme held in Arsikere. He was welcomed into the party by Karnataka Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and D. K. Shivakumar.

The victory gave him a fourth consecutive term as the MLA from Arsikere.

Ministerial career

On 3 August 2026, Gowda was sworn in as a Cabinet minister in the government headed by Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar. He was among the ministers inducted during the Cabinet expansion.

His induction marked his first appointment as a minister after four terms in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

He was subsequently assigned responsibility as the minister in charge of Hassan district.

Electoral history

Year Constituency Party Votes Main opponent Result 2004 Gandasi JD(S) 52,763 B. Shivaramu (INC) – 52,781 Lost by 18 2008 Arsikere JD(S) 74,025 G. V. Siddappa (INC) – 39,799 Won by 34,226 2013 Arsikere JD(S) 76,579 B. Shivaramu (INC) – 46,948 Won by 29,631 2018 Arsikere JD(S) 93,986 G. B. Shashidhara (INC) – 50,297 Won by 43,689 2023 Arsikere INC 98,375 N. R. Santhosh (JD(S)) – 78,198 Won by 20,177