Still waiting in the wings: Why Karnataka has never had a Dalit chief minister

Time of India

6 days ago

Bengaluru: Despite constituting a chunk of Karnataka's electorate, Scheduled Castes (SC) have never seen one of their own rise to the chief minister's chair. Over decades, entrenched caste hierarchies and shifting political calculations have ensured Dalit functionaries remain contenders — but never the chosen ones.
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The top position has historically alternated between the state's two dominant communities — Vokkaligas and Lingayats — leaving Dalits sidelined despite their numerical and political significance. Even within Congress, a party that has long championed social justice, Dalits have never got past the final hurdle.
"Over decades, Karnataka has seen several Dalits emerge as strong contenders for the CM post, but none made it to the chair," said Prof Ravindra Reshme, political commentator.
"B Basavalingappa, a progressive voice in the 1970s, enacted groundbreaking reforms abolishing manual scavenging, but his 'boosa' remark on Kannada literature led to a political fallout. KH Ranganath, known for administrative acumen, was considered in 1992 but overlooked in favour of Veerappa Moily.
Later, his dissent on forest denotification marked his exit. In 2013, then KPCC chief G Parameshwara was a frontrunner but lost his own seat, allegedly due to internal sabotage.
Mallikarjun Kharge, long seen as an able administrator, failed to make it to the top post due to various reasons."
BJP, despite attempts to woo Dalit voters — especially from the Madiga sub-group — by elevating members like Govind Karjol and A Narayanaswamy to ministerial roles, did not seize the opportunity to appoint a Dalit CM when Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa stepped down in 2021.
JD(S) has never projected a Dalit chief ministerial candidate either, though it claims to have supported Kharge during alliances with Congress in 2004 and 2018.
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On both occasions, Congress chose CMs from other castes — N Dharam Singh, a Rajput, and HD Kumaraswamy, a Vokkaliga — for the top job.
"A variety of factors have denied Dalits the CM post," said psephologist Sandeep Shastri. "While dominant and backward caste politics has been key, prominent Dalits have missed the bus simply because they were in striking range at the wrong time or faced setbacks when the time was ripe — especially Kharge in 1994, 1999, 2008 and Parameshwara in 2013 and 2023."
In 2023, Parameshwara staked his claim citing the party's performance in SC/ST-reserved constituencies — it won 35 of the 51, including two general category seats. But his efforts did not yield the top post.
Though incumbent Siddaramaiah is from the OBC Kuruba community, many Dalits see him as a proponent of their cause. Meanwhile, Kharge, now national Congress president, has consistently distanced himself from caste-based narratives.
"I have never sought the CM's post as a Dalit," he said in 2018. "If people are ashamed to accept me as a leader, let them consider me a worker. I will welcome it if the party considers me for the top post based on my seniority and not my caste.
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A significant roadblock remains the divide within the Dalit community itself. The SC Right — which includes the likes of Kharge and Parameshwara — is politically more influential than the socially and economically disadvantaged SC Left, including Madigas.
This division has fragmented support between Congress and BJP.
"It's not only Karnataka but in most other states too we have not had a Dalit CM," said political analyst Prof Harish Ramaswamy. "This is not a coincidence, but a deliberate and calculated attempt by caste-ridden society and a conspiracy against SC/ST castes to keep them out of power. In Karnataka's case, we were nearly there when B Rachaiah, a moderate, and current home minister Parameshwara were to be made CM. Unfortunately, these missed opportunities under Congress have reinforced the domination of major communities, sometimes benefitting Brahmins as consensus candidates.
However, given the rising clamour, it looks like no party can deny a Dalit the top post for too long."