Where Karnataka Chief Ministers came from and why

The first election in Karnataka was held in March 1952. In 71 years of electoral history, different regions of the State have given us chief ministers at different times. Old Mysore and central Karnataka regions have been the traditional epicentres of power in the State for the last 71 years

The count down for the 2023 Assembly elections in Karnataka has well and truly begun. The three political parties that significantly matter in Karnataka politics – BJP, INC and JD (S) — are busy burning midnight oil to get their regional and caste strategies right for the crucial elections. Who will take the reins of power in the State in May is something only time can tell. But deconstructing the historical power centres of Karnataka politics and regions from where most of our Chief Ministers have come is an interesting exercise.

The first election in Karnataka was held in March 1952. In 71 years of electoral history, different regions of the State have given us chief ministers at different times.

Old Mysore and central Karnataka regions have been the traditional epicentres of power in Karnataka for the last 71 years. Between them, they have had chief ministers coming from the region for 73% of the time.

Chief Ministers from old Mysore region have been in the hot seat for the longest period of 29 years (41%) while central Karnataka comes second with 22.5 years (32%). The north Karnataka region has held power for only 13% of the time (9.5 years) and coastal Karnataka has held power for the remaining 11% (7.65 years). In 71 years, Karnataka had President’s rule six times spanning 2.33 years.

The power is fairly evenly distributed in the old Mysore region among Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Ramanagara and Kodagu districts. The power in central Karnataka is also well distributed among Dharwad, Shivamogga, Haveri, Chitradurga, Davangere and Chikkamagaluru districts. So is the case with coastal Karnataka with Uttara Kannda and Dakshina Kannada sharing the spoils. However, in north Karnataka, the power was highly concentrated in only two districts — Kalaburagi and Bagalkote districts.

If we look at the district-wise power share, only 15 of 31 districts have had a Chief minister. Mysuru tops the list with 12.67 years. It is followed by Shivamogga with 7.52 years. Chitradurga district comes a close third with 7.48 years. If we take the undivided Chitradurga district, which included Davangere, it would move to second place with 10.84 years.

The dominance of old Mysore and central Karnataka regions has grown in the last two-and-a-half decades. If we look at power share since 1999, old Mysore’s share goes up from 41% to 53%. The share of central Karnataka goes up from 32% to 37%. In the period after 1999, old Mysore and central Karnataka regions have given us chief ministers 90% of the time.