Who is Radhika Kumaraswamy? All you need to know about wife of Karnataka's new chief minister

It was a week-long intense power struggle and furor over who should form the government in Karnataka. Following the failure of the contending parties to secure the majority in Karnataka Assembly Election 2018, the state is all set to get its new chief minister on May 23- JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy.

However, netizens seem rather interested knowing more about the CM-elect's 31-year-old wife, Radhika Kumaraswamy.

So who is Radhika Kumaraswamy?

She made her debut in Sandalwood at the age of 16 with the super hit movie Ninagagi in 2002. Radhika was touted to grow into one of the leading ladies in the Kannada film industry in early 2000.

The actress had also tried her luck in Tamil movies by acting in films like Iyarkai (2003) and Varnajalam (2004). But following five flops in 2003, the young starlet's Sandalwood career went downhill, reported The Times of India.

In later years, she was discussed behind closed doors but for a different reason - her then-alleged relationship with JD(S) leader and son of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. Radhika's relationship with HD Kumaraswamy who is 27 years her senior, though common knowledge, was kept under wraps in fear of embarrassing the former prime minister's family, according to a report by India Today.

Following a verbal spat with HDK in 2016, Congress leader and former actress Ramya went on record stating, "Of course everyone knows that he (Kumaraswamy) married Radhika. Please don't say you don't know about this... I have seen their pictures. They have a child... Obviously I would know these because I acted in a movie (Lucky) produced by Radhika."

Kumaraswamy and Radhika were rumoured to be married for a few years, but neither had acknowledged it publically. However, in an interview with Times Of India in 2010, Radhika spoke about her marriage to the JD(S) leader and their daughter together.

She tied the knot with HD Kumaraswamy in a secret ceremony in 2006, at the age of 20. Before marrying the politician, Radhika was married to Ratan Kumar while she was still a minor.

If reports are to be believed, the 31-year-old is all set to return to the big screen with a bang. She has three projects in her kitty – Rajendra Ponnappa, Kontract as well as Bhairadevi. This will mark her comeback to the big screen after Rudra Tandava in 2015.