A view of the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power in Karnataka.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s decision to step down from the top political office in Karnataka after weeks of buzz around change of guard and one-upmanship also brings the curtains down on the longest tenure held by a chief minister of the State so far.Siddaramaiah is the third Karnataka CM to complete a full five-year term and return to lead the State for a second, though non-consecutive, tenure, and eventually truncated.On January 7, 2026, he became the longest-serving Chief Minister of Karnataka by eclipsing the record held by his role model and the party’s social justice icon D. Devaraj Urs. Urs held the post for two terms (1972-1977 and 1978-1980) and was in office for seven years and 239 days. Mr. Siddaramaiah has been holding the post since May 2023, after serving a full term during 2013-18. At the time of his resignation, he has served for a total of eight years and 11 days.Since 1947, only three Chief Ministers have completed a full term —Nijalingappa (Congress, 1962-1968), Devaraj Urs (Congress, 1972-1977) and Siddaramaiah (Congress, 2013-2018). Volatility and instability have been the hallmark of Karnataka’s politics, with the State seeing President’s Rule six times.Here is a complete list of leaders who served as Chief Ministers of Karnataka and their tenures. Published - May 28, 2026 02:14 pm IST
