BENGALURU: DK Shivakumar, who will take oath as Karnataka Chief Minister on Wednesday, will be the fifth Deputy CM to be elevated to the top post. Karnataka has had 12 Deputy CMs so far, of whom only five became Chief Minister -- SM Krishna, JH Patel, Siddaramaiah, BS Yediyurappa and now DK Shivakumar. Siddaramaiah served twice as DCM.
The induction of Deputy CMs started in Karnataka in 1993 with the appointment of SM Krishna in the M Veerappa Moily government. The post of DCM is not mentioned in the Constitution. In 2024, the Supreme Court had ruled that there is nothing illegal about appointing senior leaders of a ruling party or coalition as DyCM.
Political scientist Prof Sandeep Shastri told TNIE that the post of Deputy Chief Minister is often offered as a “consolation prize” to leaders aspiring to become Chief Minister, but who are unable to secure the top post. “Though a Deputy CM holds the same rank as Cabinet minister, the designation carries greater political significance and visibility. The post is also used to strike a balance in political, regional and caste equations, ensuring representation for communities or regions that may not be reflected in the Chief Minister’s profile,” he said.
In Karnataka, after SM Krishna served as DCM in the Congress government, JH Patel was appointed HD Deve Gowda’s deputy. Later, Siddaramaiah was inducted in the late 90s. Both Patel and Siddaramaiah served as DCM in the Janata Dal government.
Siddaramaiah was inducted again as DCM during Dharam Singh’s tenure in 2004-05, and after him, late MP Prakash served as DCM. In 2006, when the BJP-JDS coalition government was in power, BS Yediyurappa served as DCM for more than a year.
Interestingly, when BJP was in power, there were more than one DCM. In 2012-2013, when Jagadish Shettar was CM, the BJP government had two Deputy CMs -- R Ashoka and KS Eshwarappa. Subsequently, when Yediyurappa became CM in 2019, Ashwathnarayan, Govind Karjol and Laxman Savadi were made DCMs. G Parameshwara served as DCM in the JDS-Congress coalition government in 2018-2019.
Shivakumar, sworn in DCM in 2023, served for 3 years and 9 days. Interestingly, Siddaramaiah holds the record of being DCM for three years, 52 days, the highest in Karnataka for any leader holding the post.