Siddaramaiah breaks Devaraj Urs’s record of being the longest-serving CM of Karnataka

Seventy-eight-year-old Congress leader Siddaramaiah on January 7, 2026, becomes the longest-serving Chief Minister of Karnataka by eclipsing the grounds held by his relation exemplary and the party’s social justness icon D. Devaraj Urs.

Urs held the station for 2 presumption and was successful bureau for 7 years and 239 days. While Urs served arsenic the Chief Minister from 1972 to 1977 and from 1978 to 1980, Mr. Siddaramaiah has been holding the station since May 2023, aft serving a afloat word during 2013-18.

Both from Mysuru

Both backward people leaders hail from Mysuru, and both have been capable to link with the past antheral successful the societal hierarchy done pro-poor schemes. S. Nijalingappa of the Congress present stands 3rd connected the list, having served 2 terms, for 7 years and 175 days.

While the implementation of onshore reforms during Urs’s tenure was considered a game-changer and revolutionary determination successful redistribution of lands, Mr. Siddaramaiah’s payment schemes, branded “Bhagya” schemes during his archetypal word and arsenic 5 “guarantees” successful the present, earned him the estimation arsenic “champion of the poor”.

Multiple probe studies person shown that the warrant schemes person contributed to women’s fiscal autonomy, entree to basal services, and wide household well-being. In summation to the earlier 3 socio-political revolutions successful Karnataka – onshore reforms, reservation, and decentralisation – the Bhagyas/guarantees are considered the 4th passive gyration aft the reorganisation of the State.

As Finance Minister

Mr. Siddaramaiah, who besides handles the concern portfolio, already holds a grounds of presenting the highest number (16) of State budgets till now. The 16th fund (2024-25) presented by him, crossed ₹4 lakh crore (₹4,09,549 crore) mark.

Mr Siddaramaiah, who served arsenic the Deputy Chief Minister twice, has been a subordinate of the Legislative Assembly for 8 terms, though not continuously. Mr. Siddaramaiah did not proceed successful the bureau instantly aft completing his archetypal term, arsenic the Congress failed to muster a bulk successful the 2018 elections. Following a hung verdict, the Congress-JD(S) conjugation authorities was formed, which subsequently collapsed, aft much than a twelve of Congress and JD(S) MLAs crossed implicit to the BJP, enabling it to regularisation from 2019 to 2023.

Amidst the leadership tussle with his lawman and KPCC president D K Shivakumar, who belongs to the ascendant Vokkaliga community, backward people organisations person already begun the celebrations to people Mr. Siddaramaiah’s achievements to consolidate the AHINDA (acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits), Mr. Siddaramaiah’s large governmental enactment base.

It was arsenic portion of this AHINDA bequest that Mr. Siddaramaiah introduced the The Karnataka Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (Planning, Allocation and Utilisation of Financial Resources) Act, 2013, successful his archetypal tenure. He implemented internal preservation during his 2nd tenure, though it present faces ineligible challenges. The first-ever caste survey of Karnataka was held during his archetypal tenure, but was not accepted by successive governments for assorted governmental compulsions. A second survey held during his 2nd tenure is owed for submission. It remains to beryllium seen if helium volition beryllium capable to judge and instrumentality it this time.

Ups and downs

Political journeys are seldom linear, and Mr. Siddaramaiah’s vocation excessively has been marked by melodramatic twists and turns implicit 4 decades of his governmental career.

Born into an underprivileged household of the shepherd assemblage (Kuruba, an OBC caste), Mr. Siddaramaiah, who began his vocation arsenic a lawyer, entered the Karnataka Legislative Assembly successful 1983 from the Chamundeshwari constituency successful Mysuru. In mid-term polls successful 1985, helium was re-elected from the aforesaid constituency and became the Minister for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services successful the Ramakrishna Hegde government.

Mr Siddaramaiah served successful assorted capacities successful successive governments of the Janata Dal, including arsenic Deputy Chief Minister successful the J.H. Patel authorities successful 1996 and the Leader of the Opposition during the BJP regime. He was upset with the Janata Dal (Secular) supremo and erstwhile Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, who was reluctant to backmost him for the Chief Minister’s station successful 2004. After being expelled from the JD(S) successful 2005, Mr. Siddaramaiah joined the Congress successful 2006. He served a little stint arsenic Deputy Chief Minister successful the archetypal Janata Dal (S)-Congress conjugation authorities (2004-05).

It has often been said that portion Mr. Siddaramaiah remained an unchallenged person successful his archetypal term, it has been little truthful successful the second. The alleged irregularities successful Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) onshore allotment to his household members is among the factors contributing to it.

Two lead-ups

While a historical 320-km padayatra from Bengaluru to Ballari against alleged amerciable mining activities of the Reddy brothers (BJP) and their associates was among the large factors that led to the Congress triumph successful 2013, a decennary later, the alleged corruption during the erstwhile BJP authorities and 5 “guarantees” promised by the Congress are considered arsenic the driving forces that installed the enactment to powerfulness successful 2023.

On some occasions, Mr. Siddaramaiah ended up holding the coveted post. Now, amidst speech connected the alteration of leadership, whether Mr. Siddaramaih volition implicit the afloat five-year word remains to beryllium seen.