Karnataka, earlier known as Mysore, has seen the reign of many influential chief ministers over time. These political figures have contributed immensely to the state’s development and growth. Most of you might not know about all the chief ministers of Karnataka. If it is so, it is not a subject of worry!
Here, we have provided a comprehensive list of all the CMs who have served the Karnataka state. We have covered everything along with the names, the party to which they belong and their tenure periods.
Additionally, we have mentioned some important facts related to this subject in this post. Similar to the post on the Delhi Chief Ministers list, you will get detailed information here. So, without further ado, let’s begin!
Karnataka CMs, their Political Parties and their Tenures
Post-independence, the Indian state Karnataka has seen a total of 24 chief ministers. Mostly, the Indian National Congress (INC) party has ruled the state. Other than INC, CMs from BJP, JNP and JDS have also joined the list.
| Sr. No | Chief Minister Name | Starting Date | Ending Date | Political Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | K. Chengalaraya Reddy | 25 Oct 1947 | 30 Mar 1952 | Indian National Congress |
| 2 | K. Hanumanthaiah | 30 Mar 1952 | 19 Aug 1956 | Indian National Congress |
| 3 | Kadidal Manjappa | 19 Aug 1956 | 31 Oct 1956 | Indian National Congress |
| 4 | S. Nijalingappa | 01 Nov 1956 | 16 May 1958 | Indian National Congress |
| 5 | B. D. Jatti | 16 May 1958 | 09 Mar 1962 | Indian National Congress |
| 6 | S. R. Kanthi | 14 Mar 1962 | 20 Jun 1962 | Indian National Congress |
| 7 | S. Nijalingappa | 21 Jun 1962 | 28 May 1968 | Indian National Congress |
| 8 | Veerendra Patil | 29 May 1968 | 18 Mar 1971 | Indian National Congress |
| 9 | President's Rule | 19 Mar 1971 | 20 Mar 1972 | - |
| 10 | D. Devaraj Urs | 20 Mar 1972 | 31 Dec 1977 | Indian National Congress |
| 11 | President's Rule | 31 Dec 1977 | 28 Feb 1978 | - |
| 12 | D. Devaraj Urs | 28 Feb 1978 | 07 Jan 1980 | Indian National Congress |
| 13 | R. Gundu Rao | 12 Jan 1980 | 06 Jan 1983 | Indian National Congress |
| 14 | Ramakrishna Hegde | 10 Jan 1983 | 29 Dec 1984 | Janata Party (JNP) |
| 15 | Ramakrishna Hegde | 08 Mar 1985 | 13 Feb 1986 | Janata Party (JNP) |
| 16 | Ramakrishna Hegde | 16 Feb 1986 | 10 Aug 1988 | Janata Party (JNP) |
| 17 | S. R. Bommai | 13 Aug 1988 | 21 Apr 1989 | Janata Party (JNP) |
| 18 | President's Rule | 21 Apr 1989 | 30 Nov 1989 | - |
| 19 | Veerendra Patil | 30 Nov 1989 | 10 Oct 1990 | Indian National Congress |
| 20 | President's Rule | 10 Oct 1990 | 17 Oct 1990 | - |
| 21 | S. Bangarappa | 17 Oct 1990 | 19 Nov 1992 | Indian National Congress |
| 22 | M. Veerappa Moily | 19 Nov 1992 | 11 Dec 1994 | Indian National Congress |
| 23 | H. D. Deve Gowda | 11 Dec 1994 | 31 May 1996 | Janata Dal (JD) |
| 24 | J. H. Patel | 31 May 1996 | 07 Oct 1999 | Janata Dal (JD) |
| 25 | S. M. Krishna | 11 Oct 1999 | 28 May 2004 | Indian National Congress |
| 26 | Dharam Singh | 28 May 2004 | 28 Jan 2006 | Indian National Congress |
| 27 | H. D. Kumaraswamy | 03 Feb 2006 | 08 Oct 2007 | Janata Dal Secular |
| 28 | President's Rule | 09 Oct 2007 | 11 Nov 2007 | - |
| 29 | B. S. Yeddiyurappa | 12 Nov 2007 | 19 Nov 2007 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 30 | President's Rule | 20 Nov 2007 | 27 May 2008 | |
| 31 | B. S. Yediyurappa | 30 May 2008 | 31 Jul 2011 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 32 | D. V. Sadananda Gowda | 04 Aug 2011 | 12 Jul 2012 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 33 | Jagadish Shettar | 12 Jul 2012 | 12 May 2013 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 34 | Siddaramaiah | 13 May 2013 | 15 May 2018 | Indian National Congress |
| 35 | B. S. Yeddiyurappa | 17 May 2018 | 23 May 2018 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 36 | H. D. Kumaraswamy | 23 May 2018 | 23 Jul 2019 | Janata Dal Secular |
| 37 | B. S. Yeddiyurappa | 26 Jul 2019 | 28 Jul 2021 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 38 | Basavaraj Bommai | 28 Jul 2021 | 15 May 2023 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 39 | Siddaramaiah | 20 May 2023 | Present | Indian National Congress |
Lesser Known Facts About the CMs of Karnataka
Here are some facts about the chief ministerial figures in the political history of Karnataka:
- K Chengalaraya Reddy of the Indian National Congress party served as the first Chief Minister of Karnataka. His tenure lasted from 25 October 1947 to 30 March 1952.
- After renaming the state to Karnataka, Devaraj Arasu became the first CM. He served the state for 2 terms from 1972 to 1977 & 1978 to 1980.
- Shri H.D Deve Gowda resigned from his CM post to become the 11th Prime Minister of India.
- Karnataka CM B.D Jatti got an opportunity to serve as the 5th Vice President of India.
- Veerendra Patil, a CM from Karnataka served the state with the longest gap (18 years+) between his two tenures.
- BJP got his first CM for the state in the name of B.S. Yediyurappa. Also, he became the CM for 4 times in the years 2007, 2008, 2018 and 2019. He was the 4th longest serving CM and his cumulative tenure lasted for 5 years and 75 days.
- From the JNP party, S.R. Bommai served as the chief minister and his son Basavaraj Bommai also served as the CM from the BJP. Also, Basavaraj also served as the caretaker CM for the state.
- Karnataka has seen 6 instances of President’s Rule and the most recent one was from 2007-2008.
Current CM of Karnataka
Currently, Siddaramaiah is serving as the chief minister of Karnataka. In the past, he served the South Indian state from 2013 to 2018.
And now, he again grabbed the CM position after his party, INC, won the 2023 Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections with a big margin.
Since he took the CM charge, Siddaramaiah has made many bold decisions for Karnataka’s welfare. Due to this, he always remains in the limelight among the state people.
After the election results, DK Shivakumar was made the deputy CM, a decision taken during the Congress Legislative Party meeting.
Conclusion
So, this is the list of Chief Ministers of Karnataka along with their tenure periods. All these prominent politicians have made a significant contribution to the state’s growth. Above all, they have greatly influenced the state’s politics for the better.
