Karnataka yet to see a CM serve for a decade | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: Although Siddaramaiah will surpass D Devaraj Urs’ record of the longest stint as CM by completing 2,972 days in office Wednesday, Karnataka has so far not seen a CM complete 10 years in office — unlike many other states. Siddaramaiah could become the first CM to reach the 10-year mark if he completes a second five-year term in May 2028, but the prospect depends on Congress’ high command, as deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar is seeking the post, citing an unwritten transition pact. It has triggered a debate over the merits of long versus short tenures. Congress state vice-president BL Shankar said: “Unlike other states, Karnataka has embraced a political culture that does not encourage hero worship of individuals unlike. It is mostly regional parties that are personality-oriented, but our state did not see the emergence of a strong regional party. So, there has been little scope for an individual staying at the helm for long. Brass of national parties tend to install chief ministers based on the prevailing political scenario at national level and party’s internal dynamics.” Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh remain the only states without a decade-long CM, but Karnataka remains at the bottom since incumbent UP CM Yogi Adityanath has completed eight years and 293 days. At least 45 chief ministers from other states have crossed the mark. Several neighbouring states have also seen CMs serve for 10 years. N Chandra Babu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh) served 15 years, 87 days; Jayalalithaa (Tamil Nadu) 14 years, 124 days; M Karunanidhi 10 years, 362 days; EK Nayanar (Kerala) 10 years, 355 days; and MG Ramachandran (Tamil Nadu) 10 years, 55 days. Karnataka has historically been governed by national parties, whose high commands often change CMs at will. The Congress replaced Urs with R Gundu Rao in 1980, Veerendra Patil in 1989, and S Bangarappa in 1992. The BJP replaced BS Yediyurappa twice in 2011 and 2022, and Sadananda Gowda in 2013. Even the Janata Party and Janata Dal, which governed the state in the 1980s and 1990s, were national parties at the time. HD Deve Gowda’s term as CM ended after two-and-a-half years in 1996 when he moved to national politics as Prime Minister. “The tenure of a CM depends on the situation and other factors,” said Jagadish Shettar, who replaced Sadananda Gowda as BJP chief minister. “In a national party, one must abide by the diktat of central brass. Not that a national party tends to change CMs at will. There are examples of CMs from both BJP and Congress who have served for more than 10 years.” So far, 17 Congress CMs and five BJP members have completed more than 10 years in office across India. GFX Staying power Category Name State Tenure All parties Pawan Chamling Sikkim 24 years, 165 days Naveen Patnaik Odisha 24 years, 265 days Jyothi Basu West Bengal 23 years, 237 days Gegong Apang Arunachal Pradesh 22 years, 60 days Lal Thanhawla Mizoram 22 years, 60 days Congress Lal Thanhawla Mizoram 22 years, 60 days Virbhadra Singh Himachal Pradesh 21 years, 13 days Yashwant Singh Parmar Himachal Pradesh 18 years, 83 days N Rangaswamy Puducherry 16 years, 213 days Mohan Lal Sukhadia Rajasthan 16 years, 194 days BJP Shivraj Singh Chouhan Madhya Pradesh 16 years, 284 days Raman Singh Chhattisgarh 15 years, 10 days Narendra Modi Gujarat 12 years, 227 days Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Rajasthan 10 years, 156 days Vasundhara Raje Madhya Pradesh 10 years, 8 days