Sharanabasappa Darshanapur has been elected from the Shahapur constituency for 5 terms in the 1994, 2004, 2008 , 2018 and 2023 Karnataka State Legislative elections. After being elected for the first time as MLA from Shahapur (Karnataka), he became the minister of state for power in 1996 under J.H. Patel Cabinet.https://fincomindia.nic.in/writereaddata/html_en_files/oldcommission_html/fcreport/11threport.pdf He served as the Cabinet Minister of Agricultural Marketing and Minister In-charge for undivided Gulbarga District from 18 February 2006 to 8 October 2007 in HD Kumaraswamy's First Cabinet. Alongside, in 2006 he was made the Incharge Minister for the undivided Gulbarga District (which then comprised today's Kalaburagi and Yadgir Districts and was one of the largest Districts in Karnataka). In 2018, he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board. On February 14, 2022 he was appointed the member of KKRDB Board along with 11 other MLAs belonging to the Hyderabad Karnataka Region.
