The Chief Minister of Karnataka is the chief executive of Karnataka. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. There have been six instances of President's rule in Karnataka, most recently in 2007�08. The incumbent chief minister is the Congress party's Siddaramaiah, who was sworn in on 13 May 2013.
| Sl. No. | Name | Political Party | Period |
| 1 | K. Chengalaraya Reddy | Congress | October 25, 1947 - March 30, 1952 |
| 2 | Kengal Hanumanthaiah | Congress | March 30, 1952 - August 19, 1956 |
| 3 | Kadidal Manjappa | Congress | August 19, 1956 - October 31, 1956 |
| 4 | S. Nijalingappa | Congress | November 1, 1956 - April 10, 1957 |
| 5 | S. Nijalingappa | Congress | April 10, 1957 - May 16, 1958 |
| 6 | B.D. Jatti | Congress | May 16, 1958 - March 9, 1962 |
| 7 | S.R. Kanthi | Congress | March 14, 1962 - June 20, 1962 |
| 8 | S. Nijalingappa | Congress | June 21, 1962 - March 3, 1967 |
| 9 | S. Nijalingappa | Congress | March 3, 1967 - May 29, 1968 |
| 10 | Veerendra Patil | Congress | May 29, 1968 - March 18, 1971 |
| | Presidents Rule | | March 19, 1971 - March 20, 1972 |
| 11 | D. Devaraj Urs | Congress | March 20, 1972 - December 31, 1977 |
| | Presidents Rule | | December 31, 1977 - February 28, 1978 |
| 12 | D. Devaraj Urs | Congress | February 28, 1978 - January 7, 1980 |
| 13 | R. Gundu Rao | Congress | January 12, 1980 - January 6, 1983 |
| 14 | Ramakrishna Hegde | Janata Party | January 10, 1983 - December 29, 1984 |
| 15 | Ramakrishna Hegde | Janata Party | March 8, 1985 - February 13, 1986 |
| 16 | Ramakrishna Hegde | Janata Party | February 16, 1986 - August 10, 1988 |
| 17 | S.R. Bommai | Janata Party | August 13, 1988 - April 21, 1989 |
| | Presidents Rule | | April 21, 1989 - November 30, 1989 |
| 18 | Veerendra Patil | Congress | November 30, 1989 - October 10, 1990 |
| | Presidents Rule | | October 10, 1990 - October 17, 1990 |
| 19 | S. Bangarappa | Congress | October 17, 1990 - November 19, 1992 |
| 20 | M. Veerappa Moily | Congress | November 19, 1992 - December 11, 1994 |
| 21 | H.D. Deve Gowda | Janata Dal | December 11, 1994 - May 31, 1996 |
| 22 | J.H. Patel | Janata Dal | May 31, 1996 - October 07, 1999 |
| 23 | S.M. Krishna | Congress | October 11, 1999 - May 28, 2004 |
| 24 | Dharam Singh | Congress | May 28, 2004 - Jan 27, 2006 |
| | | [Congress-JD(s) coalition] | |
| 24 | H D Kumaraswamy | JD(s) | Feb 3, 2006 - October 8, 2007 |
| | | [BJP-JD(s) coalition] | |
| 25 | Presidents Rule | | October 9, 2007 - November 8, 2007 |
| 26 | B S Yeddyurappa | BJP | November 12, 2007 - November 19, 2007 |
| | | [BJP-JD(s) coalition] | |
| 27 | Presidents Rule | | November 20, 2007 - May 29, 2008 |
| 28 | B S Yeddyurappa | BJP | May 30, 2008 - July 31, 2011 |
| 29 | D.V Sadananda Gowda | BJP | August 4, 2011 - July 11, 2012 |
| 30 | Jagadish Shivappa Shettar | BJP | July 12, 2012 - 8 May 2013 |
| 31 | Siddaramaiah | Congress | May 13, 2013 - 15 May 2018 |
| 32 | B. S. Yeddyurappa | Bharatiya Janata Party | 17 May 2018 – 23 May 2018 |
| 33 | H. D. Kumaraswamy | Janata Dal (Secular) | 23 May 2018 – 23 July 2019 |
| 34 | B. S. Yediyurappa | Bharatiya Janata Party | 26 July 2019 – present |
B. S. Yediyurappa served as chief minister 4 times from 12 November 2007 to 19 November 2007, 30 May 2008 to 4 August 2011, 17 May 2018 to 23 May 2018 and 26 July 2019 to present.
