Mysuru Dasara 2026: DK Shivakumar Confirms Grand Celebrations, Says Festival About Livelihood And Unity

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has decided that this year’s Mysuru Dasara will be celebrated in its full grandeur, even as the state continues to deal with drought concerns. The Karnataka Congress leaders said that on the part of the chief minister, the call was not just about organising a festival, but about keeping alive a tradition that lakhs of people across Karnataka wait for every year.

To the people in Mysuru and beyond, Dasara is more than lights, processions and palace rituals. It is about artisans getting work, small businesses seeing a season of sales, families returning home, and the city coming alive. Shivakumar’s decision indicates that understanding that a cultural celebration can be held with dignity while still being mindful of the times, and that heritage belongs to everyone who calls Karnataka home.

The party leaders stated that for close to 10 years, the BJP has positioned itself as the foremost voice on Hindu festivals and traditions, building a narrative from temple campaigns to religious imagery that backing cultural practices also means backing the BJP. In Karnataka, that message has played out strongly, especially around events tied to faith and heritage. 

The Congress party leaders asserted that the way this year’s Mysuru Dasara is being planned tells a different story, suggesting that cultural symbolism may no longer belong to just one political camp. Despite the state facing drought, Karnataka CM Shivakumar has said that the government will hold Mysuru Dasara in its full grandeur and will not scale it down. 

Notably, Mysuru Dasara is more than ten days of festivities, as it is woven into Karnataka’s history and royal legacy, bringing people together across communities. Each year, lakhs of visitors arrive in the city, bringing livelihood for artisans, hoteliers, transport workers and small vendors as well. The festival also puts Karnataka on the country’s cultural tourism map, which is why keeping the celebrations alive is about livelihoods and identity, not just ritual.

The party leader suggested that by choosing to celebrate Dasara wholeheartedly, the Congress government in Karnataka is showing that pride in traditions and a commitment to inclusive, constitutional governance can exist together. It pushes back against the idea that people must pick between cultural pride and secular leadership.

They further believed that with the move, Shivakumar has also challenged the BJP’s long-held claim that it alone can truly represent Hindu customs. Over the past year, the Karnataka government has taken part in major religious events while also focusing on welfare schemes, roads and jobs. The leaders added that the Dasara decision may do more than organise a festival, as it reframes heritage as something that unites. 

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