The deputy chief minister of Karnataka is a member of the Cabinet in the Government of Karnataka. Not technically a constitutional office, it seldom carries any specific powers. In the parliamentary system of government, According to the Constitution of India, the Governor is Karnataka's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with its Chief Minister;Stalin appointed Tamil Nadu Deputy CM the position of deputy chief minister is used to bring political stability and strength within a coalition government or in times of hung assembly, when a proper chain of command is necessaryThe position of deputy chief minister is not explicitly defined or mentioned in the Constitution of India. However, the Supreme Court of India has stated that the appointment of deputy chief ministers is not unconstitutional. The court has clarified that a deputy chief minister, for all practical purposes, remains a minister in the council of ministers headed by the chief minister and does not draw a higher salary or perks compared to other ministers.During the absence of the chief minister, the deputy-chief minister may chair cabinet meetings and lead the assembly majority. Various deputy chief ministers have also taken the oath of secrecy in line with the one that chief minister takes. This oath has also sparked controversies.
The first deputy chief minister of Karnataka was S. M. Krishna, in M. Veerappa Moily's cabinet in 1992. The office has since been only intermittently occupied. The current Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is the longest serving deputy chief minister of Karnataka, who held the post on two occasions. Once during the chief minister-ship of J. H. Patel and another time when Dharam Singh was the chief minister. R. Ashoka and Eshwarappa were deputy chief minister of Karnataka, who took on the role when Jagadish Shettar was the chief minister.2 Deputy CMs for Karnataka When H. D. Kumaraswamy formed a government in 2018, G. Parameshwara was sworn in as the deputy chief minister. After which when B.S. Yeddyurappa formed a government in 2019, three deputy chief ministers were sworn in, C. N. Ashwath Narayan, Govind Karjol and Laxman Savadi. For the first Karnataka witnessed three deputy chief ministers in office at the same time.
Many times there arose a proposal to make this post permanent, but nothing happened.
So far, Karnataka has witnessed 12 deputy chief ministers in nine terms; meanwhile, Siddaramaiah held the position twice.
List of deputy chief ministers of Karnataka Colour key for parties
#Portrait Name Constituency Term of office AssemblyChief MinisterParty 1 S. M. Krishna Maddur 21 January 1993 9 December 1994 9thM. Veerappa Moily Indian National Congress 2 J. H. Patel Channagiri 11 December 1994 31 May 199610thH. D. Deve Gowda Janata Dal 3 Siddaramaiah Chamundeshwari 31 May 1996 22 July 1999J. H. Patel Vacant (22 July 1999 – 28 May 2004) (3) Siddaramaiah Chamundeshwari 28 May 2004 5 August 200512thDharam Singh Janata Dal (Secular) 4 M. P. Prakash Hoovina Hadagali 8 August 2005 28 January 2006 5 B. S. Yediyurappa Shikaripura 3 February 2006 8 October 2007H. D. Kumaraswamy Bharatiya Janata PartyVacant (9 October 2007 – 12 July 2012) 6 R. Ashoka Padmanabha Nagar 12 July 2012 12 May 201313thJagadish ShettarBharatiya Janata Party K. S. Eshwarappa Shivamogga Vacant (12 May 2013 – 23 May 2018) 7 G. Parameshwara Koratagere 23 May 2018 23 July 201915thH. D. Kumaraswamy Indian National Congress 8 C. N. Ashwath Narayan Malleshwaram 26 August 2019 26 July 2021 B. S. YediyurappaBharatiya Janata Party Govind Karjol Mudhol Laxman Savadi MLC Vacant (26 July 2021 – 20 May 2023) 9D. K. ShivakumarKanakapura20 May 202329 May 202616thSiddaramaiahIndian National Congress Vacant (29 May 2026 – 3 June 2026)(7)G. ParameshwaraKoratagere3 June 2026Incumbent16thD. K. ShivakumarIndian National Congress
Statistics
#Deputy Chief MinisterPartyTerm of office Longest term Total duration 1 Siddaramaiah /JD(S) 3 years, 52 days 4 years, 121 days 2 D. K. Shivakumar 3 years, 14 days 3 years, 14 days 3 C. N. Ashwath Narayan 1 year, 340 days 1 year, 340 days 4 Govind Karjol 1 year, 340 days 1 year, 340 days 5 Laxman Savadi 1 year, 340 days 1 year, 340 days 6 S. M. Krishna 1 year, 322 days 1 year, 322 days 7 G. Parameshwara* 1 year, 61 days 8 B. S. Yediyurappa 1 year, 253 days 1 year, 253 days 9 J. H. Patel 1 year, 172 days 1 year, 172 days 10 K. S. Eshwarappa 304 days 304 days 11 R. Ashoka 304 days 304 days 12 M. P. Prakash 173 days 173 days — Position not in use —16 years, 167 days — Position did not exist —
See also List of chief ministers of Karnataka Deputy Prime Minister of India
References