Siddaramaiah won't stand in way of Dalit CM: A look back at communities to which Karnataka CMs belonged
Siddaramaiah on Sunday gave his strongest indication yet that he was cognisant of the notion that he may have to step aside as chief ministerial candidate even if his party is part of a ruling coalition in the state
Incumbent Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday gave his strongest indication yet that he was cognisant of the notion that he may have to step aside as chief ministerial candidate even if his party is part of a ruling coalition in the state.
After telling reporters that this election would be his last, he added, "I have no issues. If the high command says they want to appoint a Dalit as chief minister, I will say go ahead. I am not opposed to anybody."
It's worth noting at this point that in the 66 years since the formation of the first Assembly in then Mysore State, there have largely been Vokkaliga and Lingayat chief ministers at the helm, but never one who was a Dalit.
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Here's a table to put Siddaramaiah's statement into perspective:
| State | Assembly | Name | Party | Caste |
| Mysore | First | Kengal Hanumanthaiah | Congress | Vokkaliga |
| Mysore | First | Kadidal Manjappa | Congress | Vokkaliga |
| Mysore | First/Second | Siddavanahalli Nijalingappa | Congress | Vokkaliga |
| Mysore | Second | Basappa Danappa Jatti | Congress | Lingayat |
| Mysore | Third | Shivalingappa Rudrappa Kanthi | Congress | Lingayat |
| Mysore | Third/Fourth | Siddavanahalli Nijalingappa | Congress | Vokkaliga |
| Mysore | Fourth | Veerendra Patil | Congress (O) | Lingayat |
| Karnataka | Fifth | D Devaraj Urs | Congress | Arasu |
| Karnataka | Sixth | D Devaraj Urs | Congress | Arasu |
| Karnataka | Sixth | R Gundu Rao | Congress | Brahmin |
| Karnataka | Seventh | Ramakrishna Hegde | Janata Party | Brahmin |
| Karnataka | Eighth | Ramakrishna Hegde | Janata Party | Brahmin |
| Karnataka | Eighth | Somappa Rayappa Bommai | Janata Party | Lingayat |
| Karnataka | Ninth | Veerendra Patil | Congress (O) | Lingayat |
| Karnataka | Ninth | Sarekoppa Bangarappa | Congress | Ediga |
| Karnataka | Ninth | M Veerappa Moily | Congress | Devadiga |
| Karnataka | Tenth | HD Deve Gowda | Janata Dal | Vokkaliga |
| Karnataka | Tenth | Jayadevappa Halappa Patel | Janata Dal | Lingayat |
| Karnataka | Eleventh | Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna | Congress | Vokkaliga |
| Karnataka | Twelfth | N Dharam Singh | Congress | Rajput |
| Karnataka | Twelfth | HD Kumaraswamy | Janata Dal (S) | Vokkaliga |
| Karnataka | Twelfth | BS Yeddyurappa | BJP | Lingayat |
| Karnataka | Thirteenth | BS Yeddyurappa | BJP | Lingayat |
| Karnataka | Thirteenth | DV Sadananda Gowda | BJP | Vokkaliga |
| Karnataka | Thirteenth | Jagadish Shettar | BJP | Lingayat |
| Karnataka | Fourteenth | Siddaramaiah | Congress | Kuruba |
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