The Second Siddaramaiah Ministry was the 34th Council of Ministers of Karnataka, headed by Siddaramaiah of the Indian National Congress (see also First Siddaramaiah ministry, 2013-2018). It was sworn in on 20 May 2023 and served until 3 June 2026, when it was succeeded by the Shivakumar ministry. The Governor of Karnataka Thawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office to the members of the council of ministers. The ministry was formed following the Congress party's decisive victory in the 2023 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election, in which it won 135 of 224 seats.
Background The swearing-in ceremony was held at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, in the presence of various leaders from Congress and allied parties. Ten members of the Indian National Congress were sworn in on 20 May 2023, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar. The cabinet was brought to its full strength of 34 ministers on 27 May 2023, when a further 24 legislators were sworn in at Raj Bhavan.
Power-sharing arrangement The Congress high command's decision to appoint Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister came alongside a reported understanding that D. K. Shivakumar - the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president who had led the party's 2023 election campaign - would succeed him midway through the term. This arrangement was not formally announced but was widely acknowledged in political circles, and eventually triggered months of internal speculation from late 2025 onward as Shivakumar and his supporters pushed for the transition. Siddaramaiah resigned on 29 May 2026 following direction from the Congress high command, and Shivakumar was unanimously elected Congress Legislature Party leader on the same day, subsequently being sworn in as Chief Minister on 3 June 2026 with G. Parameshwara as his Deputy Chief Minister.
Budgets Siddaramaiah, who retained the Finance portfolio throughout the ministry's tenure, presented three full state budgets during this period - each notable for balancing the fiscal cost of the Five Guarantees against demands for capital and infrastructure spending.
The first budget, presented on 7 July 2023 for the financial year 2023-24, was Siddaramaiah's record 14th as Finance Minister of Karnataka. The total budget outlay was ₹3.27 lakh crore, with approximately ₹52,000 crore earmarked for the implementation of the five guarantee schemes.
The second budget, presented on 16 February 2024 for 2024-25, was his 15th. The outlay was ₹3.71 lakh crore, with the five guarantee schemes allocated ₹52,009 crore. The revenue deficit for 2024-25 was estimated at ₹27,354 crore (1% of GSDP), higher than the previous year; Siddaramaiah defended the state's fiscal position, noting that Karnataka's fiscal deficit of 2.95% of GSDP and total borrowings remained within the limits set under the Karnataka Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2002.
The third budget, presented on 7 March 2025 for 2025-26, was Siddaramaiah's record 16th budget - the most presented by any finance minister in Karnataka's history. Total expenditure was projected at ₹4.09 lakh crore, a 12% increase over the revised estimates for 2024-25. Capital expenditure was raised to ₹71,336 crore, up 27%, reflecting a course correction toward infrastructure investment after two years dominated by welfare spending. A new Chief Minister's Infrastructure Development Programme (CMIDP) was announced with ₹8,000 crore for roads, minor irrigation, and urban infrastructure across all assembly constituencies. The five guarantees were allocated ₹51,034 crore. The fiscal deficit was targeted at 2.9% of GSDP (₹90,428 crore), and the state's total liabilities were estimated at 24.91% of GSDP - within the statutory ceiling.
Policies and legislation
Five Guarantees The ministry's central policy programme was the implementation of five pre-election guarantees that the Indian National Congress had promised during the 2023 state elections. The five schemes - Gruha Jyoti (200 units of free electricity per household per month), Gruha Lakshmi (₹2,000 monthly cash transfer to the woman head of each family), Anna Bhagya (10 kg of free rice to BPL household members), Shakti (free travel for women on state public transport buses), and Yuva Nidhi (₹3,000 per month for unemployed graduates and ₹1,500 for unemployed diploma holders, for up to two years) - were launched in phased manner between June and August 2023. By the 2025-26 budget year, the government had allocated ₹51,034 crore for the five schemes, with over 1.24 crore women receiving support through Gruha Lakshmi, 1.63 crore households benefiting from Gruha Jyoti, and 4.08 crore people covered under Anna Bhagya.
Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024 On 23 July 2024, the ministry introduced the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024 in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, replacing the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Act, 2020. The Act established the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) as an apex coordinating body and provided for the replacement of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) with up to seven city corporations. The government officially notified the GBA's formation on 14 May 2025, with it coming into force on 15 May 2025; Chief Minister Siddaramaiah became its first chairman and Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar its vice-chairman.
Socio-Economic and Educational Survey (Caste Census) The ministry commissioned a fresh Socio-Economic and Educational Survey - popularly referred to as a caste census - through the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, the previous survey having been conducted in 2015 but not accepted by subsequent governments. The new survey, covering nearly 5.9 crore of Karnataka's estimated 6.26 crore population, was conducted in 2025 at a cost of ₹635 crore and included 54 questions spanning social, economic, and educational indicators. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah received the completed report from the Commission on 27 May 2026, days before the ministry's dissolution.
Local Candidates Reservation Bill (withdrawn) In July 2024, the Cabinet approved the Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories and Other Establishments Bill, 2024, which would have mandated private sector establishments to reserve 50% of management positions and 70% of non-management positions for local candidates - defined as persons born in Karnataka or resident for at least 15 years with Kannada proficiency. The bill drew immediate and intense criticism from industry bodies, including Nasscom, which warned that restrictions on talent could force companies to relocate and that the tech sector, which contributes approximately 25% of the state's GDP, would be adversely affected. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced within three days of the Cabinet's approval that the bill had been put on hold for further deliberations; it was not reintroduced during the ministry's remaining tenure.
OBC reservation and Muslim quota The ministry inherited a contested reservation order from its predecessor: the Bommai government's March 2023 decision to scrap the 4% OBC reservation for Muslims under Category 2B, redistributing it between the Vokkaliga (Category 2C, +2%) and Veerashaiva-Lingayat (Category 2D, +2%) communities. This decision had been challenged before the Supreme Court, which had directed that the status quo be maintained pending adjudication. The Siddaramaiah government accordingly continued administering reservations under the existing court-directed status quo without formally restoring or confirming the Muslim quota, as the matter remained sub judice throughout the ministry's tenure.
Controversies
Valmiki Corporation scam The ministry's first major controversy emerged in May 2024, when Chandrashekhar P., an accounts superintendent at the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited, died by suicide leaving a note alleging the illegal transfer of ₹187.3 crore from the corporation's Union Bank of India account. B. Nagendra, the then-Minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare, resigned on 6 June 2024 amid mounting allegations of his involvement (see Former Ministers). The Enforcement Directorate arrested Nagendra in July 2024 following raids at over 15 locations across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The ED subsequently filed a chargesheet naming Nagendra as the primary accused. The Karnataka High Court directed the CBI to take up a full investigation in July 2025; the CBI filed three chargesheets on 3 June 2026 naming Nagendra as the primary accused across all three, along with 29 others, in relation to the misappropriation of funds from the corporation, the Scheduled Tribes Welfare Department, and the Karnataka German Technical Training Institute.
MUDA site-allotment case The Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site-allotment case dominated Karnataka politics from mid-2024. The case centres on allegations that MUDA allotted 14 compensatory plots in an upmarket area of Mysuru to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife, B. M. Parvathi, under a 50:50 ratio scheme, in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land used for a residential layout - with the allotted plots alleged to be worth substantially more than the acquired land. Governor Thawarchand Gehlot granted sanction for prosecution against Siddaramaiah in August 2024; the Chief Minister challenged this in the Karnataka High Court, which dismissed his petition on 24 September 2024 and upheld the Governor's sanction. The Lokayukta police registered an FIR against Siddaramaiah and others on 27 September 2024, and the Enforcement Directorate subsequently launched a parallel money-laundering investigation. Parvathi voluntarily wrote to MUDA offering to return the 14 plots in October 2024. Siddaramaiah denied wrongdoing throughout and characterised the case as politically motivated. The BJP-JD(S) opposition persistently demanded his resignation; Siddaramaiah did not resign and served out the full term of the ministry.
Council of Ministers Sr. No. NamePortraits Constituency Designation Portfolio(s) Party Term of Office Took Office Left Office DurationChief Minister1 Siddaramaiah Varuna Chief Minister Finance Cabinet Affairs Personnel and Administrative Reforms Intelligence Information and Public Relations Youth Services Sports S.T. Welfare Co-operation (excluding Agricultural Marketing) Other Departments not allocated to any minister INC 20 May 2023 3 June 2026 3 years, 14 daysDeputy Chief Minister2 D. K. Shivakumar Kanakapura Deputy Chief Minister Major and Medium Irrigation Bengaluru City Development (including GBA, BDA, BWSSB, BMRDA, BMRCL) (Connected to these authorities related to Town Planning) INC 20 May 2023 3 June 2026 3 years, 14 daysCabinet Ministers3 G. Parameshwara Koratagere Cabinet Minister Home (excluding Intelligence) INC 20 May 2023 3 June 2026 3 years, 14 days4 H. K. Patil Gadag Cabinet Minister Law Parliamentary Affairs Legislation Tourism INC 20 May 2023 3 June 2026 3 years, 14 days5 K. H. Muniyappa Devanahalli Cabinet Minister Food & Civil Supplies Consumer Affairs INC 20 May 2023 3 June 2026 3 years, 14 days6 K. J. George Sarvagnanagar Cabinet Minister Energy INC 20 May 2023 3 June 2026 3 years, 14 days7 M. B. Patil Babaleshwar Cabinet Minister Large & Medium Industries Infrastructure Development INC 20 May 2023 3 June 2026 3 years, 14 days8 Ramalinga Reddy B.T.M Layout Cabinet Minister Transport Muzrai INC 20 May 2023 3 June 2026 3 years, 14 days9 Satish Jarkiholi Yemkanmardi Cabinet Minister Public Works Department INC 20 May 2023 3 June 2026 3 years, 14 days10 Priyank Kharge Chittapur Cabinet Minister Rural Development Panchayati Raj IT & BT INC 20 May 2023 3 June 2026 3 years, 14 days11 B. Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan Chamrajpet Cabinet Minister Housing Waqf