Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah resigns after 8 years in office; know his journey

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tendered his resignation to Governor Thawarchand Gehlot on Thursday. Siddaramaiah had served as the state’s chief minister for the second time, holding the position for a total of eight years. Born on August 3, 1947, he is popularly known as ‘Siddhu’. He served as the 16th chief minister of Karnataka from May 20, 2023, to May 28, 2026. Earlier, he had also held the post from 2013 to 2018. In January 2026, Siddaramaiah surpassed the record set by D. Devaraj Urs to become Karnataka’s longest-serving chief minister.

Siddaramaiah’s political journey has been long and eventful. He first contested and won the assembly elections in 1983 from the Chamundeshwari constituency as an independent candidate. He then held key portfolios such as Kannada and Culture, and Animal Husbandry in the Janata Party government. He also served as the state’s Deputy Chief Minister under J.H. Patel (1996–1999) and Dharam Singh (2004–2005). During the BJP-led governments from 2008 to 2013 and 2019 to 2023, he served as the Leader of the Opposition. Winning assembly elections nine times in his political career, Siddaramaiah has contested and won under various political parties—1983 as an independent, 1985 under Janata Party, 1994 under Janata Dal, 2004 under JD(S), and 2008 and 2013 under the Congress.