What do ordinary citizens want? It is the road beneath the motorcycle or car; the functioning drainage beside the house; the streetlight outside the colony; the commuter bus that arrives on time; the tap from which clean water flows; and, lastly, the uninterrupted electricity supply.
This sounds embarrassingly basic. In the West, citizens take these things for granted. Yet, shockingly, in India, eight decades after Independence, basic governance remains one of its greatest unfinished projects. Despite national progress such as installed power capacity exceeding 500 GW and major gains in rural electrification and tap connections, urban delivery gaps in roads, drainage, water reliability and power persist.
Look at Mumbai, the capital of India’s richest state. The monsoon returns every year with almost the punctuality of its local trains. And every year, parts of the city appear surprised by rain. Roads flood. Manholes remain open. Vehicles disappear into waterlogged streets. In recent days, rain-related deaths including a man dying after falling into an open manhole have again raised questions about civic safety. Non-revenue water losses in cities like Mumbai often exceed 30%.
Or take India’s national capital, Delhi. During a visit last month, I was genuinely shocked by electricity cuts. This was not in some distant village. There were power disruptions around Parliament Street, at the heart of the national capital. Safe drinking water for every citizen remains an ambition rather than an unquestioned reality, with ongoing challenges in supply consistency and groundwater management.
India wants to build semiconductor factories, artificial intelligence systems and trillion-dollar companies. It should. But a country cannot become a global superpower while its citizens are still jumping over open drains and wondering whether the electricity will remain on.
This is where Karnataka’s new Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s first month in office (sworn in on June 3, 2026) becomes interesting. I think he knows that Karnataka does not need miracles; it needs a government that provides the above-mentioned basic needs promptly and in a sustained manner. Thirty days is too short to judge a Chief Minister. Governments are not instant noodles and states cannot be transformed overnight. He is still in his honeymoon period. The state’s janata should be willing to give him a bit of time if they believe his intentions are noble and people-centric.
First of all, he has earned his elevation by working hard, not rebelling against Siddaramaiah and staying loyal to the party high command. Few can seriously deny his role in the Congress’s sweeping victory in Karnataka in 2023. As state party chief and the Congress’s chief political troubleshooter, Shivakumar helped rebuild the organisation, keep its factions together and turn anti-incumbency against the BJP into a decisive electoral victory.
His first month has looked very much like the man himself: energetic, impatient and highly centralised. Contemporary assessments have described the opening 30 days as fast-paced and intensely controlled from the top (which many believe is needed in the first few months), while his visit to Siddaramaiah after completing a month also showed an effort to keep the transition politically smooth.
Within days, bureaucrats and police officers were moved. Portfolios were allocated within a week. When senior ministers Ramalinga Reddy and Krishna Byre Gowda reportedly expressed unhappiness over their responsibilities, Shivakumar moved quickly to contain the disagreement. That may sound like routine politics. It is not. India is full of governments that spend their first months distributing chairs and soothing egos. Shivakumar appears keen to send a different message: the government must move.
Infrastructure Push and Early Priorities
Infrastructure has clearly emerged as one of his early priorities. He has pushed ahead with Bengaluru’s short tunnel road project – a 2.2-km, six-lane link between Hebbal and Mekhri Circle (part of a broader ₹2,215 crore initiative) intended to ease one of the city’s worst traffic stretches. He has also inaugurated the 10.7-km S.M. Krishna Corridor linking Magadi Road and Mysore Road.
One can argue about tunnels, flyovers and ten-lane roads. Urban planners certainly will. But Shivakumar seems to understand something many Indian politicians forget: for ordinary citizens, governance is often personal.
In a message marking the first full month in office, DKS spoke of humility, gratitude and a government committed to “putting people first.” He promised a Karnataka that would lead India in growth, innovation, infrastructure, investment, social justice and good governance. Early signals include announcements on free bus passes for students, recruitment drives and proposals for Bharat Jodo Youth Clubs.
Of course, politicians love such words. The more useful question is whether the first thirty days offer any small clues about the government that may follow. In Shivakumar’s case, the answer is perhaps yes.
There are early signs that Shivakumar understands the importance of political organisation alongside administration. His proposal for Bharat Jodo Youth Clubs at the panchayat level is clearly an attempt to create local leadership and connect the party with younger Indians.
Critics may call it political expansion. Of course it is. But good political organisation and good governance need not be enemies. A party worker on the ground can also be an early-warning system for where the road has collapsed or where anger is building.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
But there are already reasons for caution. The proposed township near Bidadi has become Shivakumar’s first major political headache. Farmers opposing land acquisition have accused the government of failing to listen. Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has stepped into the dispute. This is precisely where the “people first” promise will be tested.
There are other warning signs. Karnataka faces a huge backlog of payments to contractors, with outstanding dues exceeding ₹37,000 crore across departments. Shivakumar has sought time to address this. Welfare schemes have faced questions over misuse. The coming Cabinet expansion could reopen factional battles. And then there is Mekedatu, where his renewed push for the reservoir project has brought Karnataka into conflict with Tamil Nadu.
However, his test will not be how he tackles these issues in a jiffy. The test is whether projects are completed, roads remain usable, drains work when it rains, Bengaluru’s notorious traffic congestion is eased and the city becomes easier rather than harder to live in.
I think one month tells us his instincts are spot on. The man wants speed. He likes control. He thinks big. He understands political machinery. All these qualities can make a successful Chief Minister. However, he must not forget they can also create spectacular problems if not balanced with delivery and listening.
D.K. Shivakumar has promised to make Karnataka a benchmark for the rest of India. After thirty days, it would be foolish to declare success. It would be equally foolish to dismiss the signs of energy and purpose. Perhaps the fairest verdict is that Karnataka does not yet know whether good days are coming. But for the first time in a while, its new Chief Minister appears determined to make the government move faster than the traffic in Bengaluru.
That is a start. And now he has just about two years to prove it.
(The author is a Sony Award-winning journalist, with nearly 30 years at the BBC, working across London, Washington DC, and South Asia.)