Chief Ministers
| Sr No. | Name | From | To | Political Party |
| 1 | Kysamballi Chengalaraya Reddy | 25 October 1947 | 30 March 1952 | Indian National Congress (INC) |
| 2 | Kengal Hanumanthaiah | 30 March 1952 | 19 August 1956 | INC |
| 3 | Kadidal Manjappa | 19 August 1956 | 31 October 1956 | INC |
| 4 | S. Nijalingappa | 1 November 1956 | 16 May 1958 | INC |
| 5 | B.D. Jatti | 16 May 1958 | 9 March 1962 | INC |
| 6 | S.R. Kanthi | 14 March 1962 | 20 June 1962 | INC |
| S. Nijalingappa | 21 June 1962 | 29 May 1968 | INC | |
| 7 | Veerendra Patil | 29 May 1968 | 18 March 1971 | INC |
| 8 | D. Devaraj Urs | 20 March 1972 | 31 December 1977 | INC |
| D. Devaraj Urs | 28 February 1978 | 7 January 1980 | INC | |
| 9 | R. Gundu Rao | 12 January 1980 | 6 January 1983 | INC |
| 10 | Ramakrishna Hegde | 10 January 1983 | 29 December 1984 | Janata |
| Ramakrishna Hegde | 8 March 1985 | 13 February 1986 | Janata | |
| Ramakrishna Hegde | 16 February 1986 | 10 August 1988 | Janata | |
| 11 | S. R. Bommai | 13 August 1988 | 21 April 1989 | Janata |
| Veerendra Patil | 30 November 1989 | 10 October 1990 | INC | |
| 12 | S.Bangarappa | 17 October 1990 | 19 November 1992 | INC |
| 13 | M. Veerappa Moily | 19 November 1992 | 11 December 1994 | INC |
| 14 | H.D. Deve Gowda | 11 December 1994 | 31 May 1996 | Janata Dal |
| 15 | J. H. Patel | 31 May 1996 | 7 October 1999 | Janata Dal |
| 16 | S. M. Krishna | 11 October 1999 | 28 May 2004 | INC |
| 17 | Dharam Singh | 28 May 2004 | 28 January 2006 | INC |
| 18 | H. D. Kumaraswamy | 3 February 2006 | 8 October 2007 | Janata Dal (Secular) |
| 19 | B. S. Yeddyurappa | 12 November 2007 | 19 November 2007 | Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) |
| B. S. Yeddyurappa | 30 May 2008 | Present | BJP |
President's rule in the state
1. 19.03.1971 to 20.03.1972
2. 31.12.1977 to 28.02.1978
3. 21.04.1989 to 30.11.1989
4. 09.10.2007 to 11.11.2007
5. 20.11.2007 to 29.05.2008