Next Karnataka Chief Minister: Top 5 Contenders And Why They Matter The Most

Karnataka Assembly Elections results about to be declared, the key question - who could be the Chief Minister of Karnataka - is being asked once again. There are too many deputy chief minister, Chief Minister and ministers in the fray who have their eyes on the top job. 

Here are top our top 5 picks for the Karnataka Chief Minister post:

1 — Siddaramaiah

Going by the exit polls, the first person in this list is Congress leader and former Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah. Besides being a former Chief Minister,  Siddaramaiah has been an MLA for eight terms. He was also the leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly. Interestingly, Siddaramiah has said that this is going to be his last election.

Siddaramaiah was earlier a part of the JD-S and has served as the Deputy Chief Minister twice in the state. In 2005, Siddaramaiah was suspended from the JD-S. A year later he joined the Congress with his followers. He became the chief minister of Karnataka on 13 May 2013.

 

2— DK Shivakumar

Shivakumar, or DK or DKShi as he is known locally, had started his career from the Youth Congress and won his first election in the year 1989. He is a seven-time MLA and the chief of the Congress party in Karnataka. He hails from a modest agrarian Vokkaliga family. Shivakumar is the Congress’ troubleshooter. He has bailed the Congress from many a crises.

3— HD Kumaraswamy

Two-time Karnataka CM and National President of Janata Dal (Secular), HD Kumaraswamy or popularly known as "Kumaranna". He is the son of the former Prime Minister of India, HD Deve Gowda. His brother HD Revanna is a former minister and MLA from Holenarasipur. Both his wife and son are politicians too.

4 — BS Yediyurappa

Four-time Chief Minister Yediyurappa is known as the biggest Lingayat leader in the state till date. He is the longest serving Chief Minister of Karnataka from BJP. He is an MLA from Shikaripura constituency in Shimoga district, from where he has been elected eight times. It is said that the Karnataka - that was dominated by the Congress and Jata Dal factions - saw BJP’s rise only because of Yediyurappa efforts. 

5 — Basavaraj Bommai 

Basvaraj Bommai is the current Chief Minister of Karnataka. Interestingly, his father, SR Bommai, has also served as a Chief Minister of the state. asavaraj Bommai started his political career with the Janata Dal. He later joined the BJP in 2008. Since then he is ruling over the Shiggaon assembly seat. The Bommais are the second father-son duo to become CMs in the state. He belongs to the sub-sect Sadar-Lingayat, which is not a dominant group within the Lingayats.