How long Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah gets to enjoy that title for is a matter of debate with speculation rife that the Congress may replace him with DK Shivakumar soon
In public, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have said they will abide by the party high command’s decision. (PTI/File)
Call it the domino effect or the butterfly effect, but the recent Assembly election results have made Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah the oldest serving Chief Minister in India at 77 years and 9 months. That mantle earlier belonged to 82-year-old Pinarayi Vijayan, but with the CPM leader ousted as Kerala Chief Minister in the 2026 elections, Congress’s Siddaramaiah gets to add the record to his storied career.
After Siddaramaiah, who will turn 78 in August, comes Andhra Pradesh’s Chandrababu Naidu at 75, followed by Mizoram’s Lalduhoma, Nagaland’s Neiphiu Rio and Puducherry’s N Rangaswamy, all of whom are aged 74.
The 78-year-old Mysuru-born Siddaramaiah is currently serving as Karnataka CM for a second time after serving his first five-year term beginning 2013.
How long he gets to hold onto the title for, however, is a matter of great debate, with speculation rife within the Congress and Karnataka’s political circles about a possible leadership change and cabinet reshuffle soon. Supporters of Karnataka Deputy CM and state Congress president DK Shivakumar have been vocal about demanding a change in chief ministership.
In public, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have said they will abide by the party high command’s decision, but the latter’s recent trips to Delhi have fuelled speculation that he is lobbying for the top job.
The leadership tussle within the party became more pronounced after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025. The speculation has been fuelled by the reported “power-sharing” arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of government formation in 2023.
In January this year, Siddaramaiah broke the record of Devaraj Urs to become Karnataka’s longest-serving chief minister. “Tomorrow, another leader may emerge who will break my record,” Siddaramaiah had said then.
Shivakumar, who has completed six years as the state Congress President had congratulated Siddaramaiah, saying: “This is a happy moment. I wish him well. Everyone has an ambition to achieve in life. He has been in the history books in the past, and he will be (there) in the future too.”
Karnataka, India, India
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