Siddaramaiah is known for his strong political presence in Karnataka and has been an influential figure in state politics. His political career witnessed both achievements and controversies, and he remains a prominent leader in the state.
Siddaramaiah is a popular and respected leader in Karnataka. He is known for his pro-poor policies and his commitment to social justice. He is a strong advocate for the rights of the backward classes and the minorities. He is also a vocal critic of the BJP government in Karnataka. Prior to becoming Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah held various ministerial positions in the Karnataka government, including Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Finance, and Minister for Higher Education.
KEY POINTS
- Siddaramaiah is a towering figure in Karnataka politics.
- He is a leader who is committed to the welfare of the people of Karnataka.
- He is a man of the masses and he is always there to fight for the rights of the poor and the marginalized.
New Chief Minister of Karnataka
Siddaramaiah is the new Chief Minister of Karnataka, after leading the Congress party to a resounding victory in the 2023 assembly elections. He was named as the CM by the party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge on May 18, 2023, following a three-day tussle with his rival and state unit president D K Shivakumar.
Remarkable Political Comeback
Siddaramaiah, who was the CM of Karnataka from 2013 to 2018, made a remarkable comeback after losing the 2018 polls to the BJP. He was widely credited for reviving the fortunes of the Congress in the state, which had been reduced to a marginal player in the previous elections. He campaigned aggressively on the issues of development, welfare schemes, social justice and secularism, and managed to win over voters across regions and communities.
Decades of Political Journey
Siddaramaiah has a long and illustrious political career spanning over four decades. He started his journey as a student leader and activist in the socialist movement in the 1970s. He joined the Janata Party in 1983 and became an MLA for the first time from the Chamundeshwari constituency in the Mysuru district. He served as a minister in various Janata governments headed by Ramakrishna Hegde, S R Bommai and J H Patel. He was also the deputy CM of Karnataka twice, in 1996 and 2004.
Before 1978, he began his political career when Nanjunda Swamy, a lawyer in Mysore, spotted him at the district courts as a law graduate. He was asked to
contest and was elected to the Mysore Taluka. He contested on a Bharatiya Lok Dal ticket from the Chamundeshwari constituency and entered the 7th Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1983. This was a surprise victory for all and it earned him a name and fame in the Old Mysore region.
Later he joined the ruling Janata Party and became the first president of the Kannada Surveillance Committee (Kannada Kavalu Samiti), set up to supervise the
implementation of Kannada as an official language. During the mid-term polls in 1985, Siddaramaiah was re-elected from the same constituency and became Minister for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services. In Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde’s government, he handled diverse portfolios such as Sericulture, Animal Husbandry and Transport at different stages.
He first suffered defeat in the 1989 Assembly elections, beaten by a veteran Congress leader, M. Rajasekara Murthy. Later in 1992, he was appointed as Secretary General of Janata Dal which H. D. Deve Gowda had also joined. He was elected again in the 1994 State Elections and became the Minister for Finance in the Janata Dal government headed by Deve Gowda.
He was made Deputy Chief Minister when J. H. Patel became Chief Minister in 1996. After the split in the Janata Dal, he joined the Janata Dal (Secular) faction of Deve Gowda and became the president of its state unit. However, he lost in the 1999 state elections. In 2004, when the Indian National Congress and JDS formed a coalition government with Dharam Singh as Chief Minister, he was again appointed as Deputy Chief Minister.
Transition to Congress
In 2005, after differences with H. D. Deve Gowda, Siddaramaiah was expelled from JD (S). He wanted to form a regional party “ABPJD” in the state after quitting the JD (S), but he did not because regional parties formed earlier in Karnataka had not survived. He subsequently garnered mass support from the backward classes and joined the Congress at a large public meeting held in Bangalore, in Gandhi’s presence.
He won the Chamundeshwari bypolls held in December 2006, by a margin of 257 votes against M. Shivabasappa of JDS, despite a fierce campaign against him by Deve Gowda, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister Yeddyurappa in the constituency. In the 2008 state Assembly elections, he contested from Varuna Constituency and was re-elected for the fifth time.
He won the 2013 election from the same constituency on 8 May 2013. He was elected as the leader of the Congress legislative party in the Karnataka assembly on 10 May 2013. He had previously announced that the 2013 Assembly election would be his last election.
Setbacks and Criticisms
Siddaramaiah faced a tough challenge from the BJP led by B S Yediyurappa in the 2018 elections. He lost his own seat from Chamundeshwari to JDS candidate G T Deve Gowda by a huge margin. He also failed to form a post-poll alliance with the JDS, which joined hands with the BJP instead. Siddaramaiah resigned as the CM and also as the Congress legislative party leader. He faced criticism from within his party for his alleged arrogance and authoritarianism.
Undeterred Political Spirit
However, Siddaramaiah did not give up and continued to work hard to rebuild his image and regain his popularity. He played a key role in bringing down the BJP-JDS coalition government in 2020 by engineering defections of several MLAs. He also led the Congress campaign for the by-polls that followed, winning 12 out of 15 seats. He emerged as the undisputed leader of the Congress in Karnataka and was appointed as its campaign committee chief for the 2023 elections.
Positions held
Chief Minister of Karnataka (13 May 2013 – present)
Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka (twice, 1996 and 2004)
Minister for Finance
Minister for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (1985)
Minister for Sericulture and Animal Husbandry
Minister for Transport
Minister for Higher Education
Challenges in the Second Stint
Siddaramaiah’s second stint as the CM is expected to be challenging as he has to deal with various issues such as the Covid-19 pandemic, economic slowdown, farmers’ distress, water disputes and internal dissent. He also has to share power with his deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who is seen as his potential rival within the party. Siddaramaiah has said that he will work for the welfare of all sections of society and fulfill his promises made during the elections.
Siddaramaiah: An Influential Leader
Siddaramaiah is one of the most popular and influential leaders in Karnataka politics. He is known for his oratory skills, mass appeal and pro-poor policies. He is also an avid reader, writer and social media user. He has written several books on politics, economics and history.
Personal Life
Siddaramaiah is married to Parvathi and had two sons: the late Rakesh, who did a few film roles and Yathindra, who is a doctor. Rakesh died in July 2016 in Belgium due to multiple organ failures. As revealed by the Facebook profiles of some of his friends who were traveling with him, they were possibly attending ‘Tomorrowland’, one of the world’s biggest electronic dance music festivals, held annually in Belgium he is an Atheist.
India CSR Research Team
