Congress leader Siddaramaiah became Karnataka's Chief Minister after his party won 136 out of 224 state assembly seats in May 2023. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar is his Deputy in the state. Siddaramaiah also held that position previously from 2013 to 2018, being only the second person to hold that office for a full five-year term.
Siddaramaiah was born on August 3, 1947 in Mysuru, Karnataka. He is a member of the Kuruba community, which is a Scheduled Tribe in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah studied at the University of Mysore, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.
Siddaramaiah was a member of various Janata Parivar factions before finally joining the Congress in 2006. Under the Janata Party and Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde, Siddaramaiah was appointed to his first government position in 1983. He became chairman of the erstwhile Kannada Watchdog Committee, to guard the interests of the Kannada language — a task he still considers close to his heart.
In 1996, Siddaramaiah became deputy CM under J H Patel, a post he held again in 2004 in a JD(S)-Congress coalition government. In 2006, however, Deve Gowda sacked him for floating a collective of backward castes, Dalits and minorities in the state called AHINDA, which was viewed as an anti-party activity.
Soon after, Siddaramaiah joined the Congress. In 2006, he won a bypoll from Chamundeshwari seat in his home district of Mysore by a narrow margin of 257 votes, against the combined might of the ruling JD(S)-BJP coalition.
A backward class leader with over five decades of political experience, Siddaramaiah, 75, is considered one of the three remaining mass leaders of Karnataka – alongside former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, 91, of the JD(S) and ex-CM B S Yediyurappa, 80, of the BJP.
As CM holding the Finance portfolio during his 2013-18 tenure, Siddaramaiah had implemented measures such as providing 7 kg of rice to members of BPL homes, setting up canteens selling food at low costs, allotment of substantial funds for free food grains and milk to the poor, and for schemes meant for backward classes, Dalits and minorities. Nearly 24% of the state budget was set aside annually for SC/ST communities.
Siddaramaiah has consciously projected an image of a rustic, down-to-earth politician who identifies with the problems of the downtrodden, including the Dalits.
Congress high command expects that the ambitious Shivakumar, who aspires to play the CM innings for long, will rise to help the party buck anti-incumbency and clinch its second term in 2028.
Before becoming the “richest CM”, Shivakumar had already shown his mettle as a Congress organiser, fund mobiliser, troubleshooter and backroom strategist – he will now be called to put these skills into full use for 2028 elections
Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar Swears In Ceremony Live Updates: Outgoing CM Siddaramaiah, along with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge were present during the swearing-in ceremony at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters that the party leadership had yet to receive any proposal to appoint deputy chief ministers in Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah’s close aide Satish Jarkiholi is learnt to have sought both KPCC president post and a Cabinet berth as enjoyed by D K Shivakumar over the past three years.
Almost from the very beginning of outgoing CM Siddaramaiah's term, the Karnataka story has been dominated by the factional fight within the ruling party
Even though most exit polls predicted a hung assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to form the government in Karnataka with a simple majority, handing out a severe drubbing to the ruling Congress and relegating the Janata Dal (Secular) to the third spot.
The high-pitched election campaign for the Karnataka Assembly polls concluded at 5 pm on May 10 as political parties held multiple rallies in their last attempt to woo voters.
If the BJP forms the government in Karnataka, this will be its 21st state. But what does it take to get there? How is it being planned? Liz Mathew unpacks the strategy.
Bengaluru, Feb 21 (ANI): A man threw a paper bag at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during a function at Ravindra Kalakshetra, protesting caste bias on Sunday. The man was arrested immediately after the incident. The security officials present at the spot found that the paper bag was filled with chocolates.
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