Bengaluru, Dec. 15 -- Shamanuru Shivashankarappa, a six-time Congress MLA and one of Karnataka's longest-serving political figures, died on Sunday at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He was 94 and had been receiving treatment for age-related ailments. His death ends a political career spanning multiple phases of the state's electoral history. At the time of his death, Shivashankarappa represented the Davangere South Assembly constituency, a seat he retained despite advancing age. He was India's oldest sitting MLA. Chief minister Siddaramaiah visited the hospital in recent days to enquire about his health. Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar described Shivashankarappa's passing as a major loss to the state and the Congress. Born on June 16, 1931, in Davangere district, Shivashankarappa entered public life early and earned a reputation as a durable figure in the Congress and Lingayat community. Shivashankarappa won the Karnataka legislative assembly elections six times - in 1994, 2004, 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2023. He also served one term as an MP and held ministerial portfolios in multiple state cabinets. Though he lost the 1997 Davangere Lok Sabha by-election, he remained a key player in local and state politics....