Janata Dal (United) (lit. 'People's Party (United)'), abbreviated as JD(U), is an Indian political party with political presence mainly in eastern and north-eastern India. JD(U) is recognised as a state party in the states of Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. JD(U) heads the government in Bihar under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and is also a member of the ruling government in Manipur. JD(U) won 16 seats in the 2019 Indian general election, making it the seventh largest party in the Lok Sabha.
Siddaramaiah, also referred to by his nickname Siddu, is an Indian politician who is serving as the 22nd Chief Minister of Karnataka since 2023. He also held that position previously from 2013 to 2018, being only the second person to hold that office for a full five-year term. He belongs to the Indian National Congress and is presently the leader of the Congress Legislative Party. He represented the Varuna Assembly constituency from 2023, previously from 2008 to 2018, Badami Assembly constituency from 2018 to 2023, and from Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency from 2004 to 2007, 1994 to 1999 and from 1983 to 1989 in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. He served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1996 to 1999 and from 2004 to 2005 while he was a member of the Janata Dal and Janata Dal (Secular). He also served as the Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly on two occasions from 2019 to 2023 and from 2009 to 2013. Siddaramaiah was a member of various Janata Parivar factions for several years.
Adaguru Huchegowda Vishwanath is an Indian politician from Karnataka state. He is a leader of Indian National Congress. He is a Nominated Member of Karnataka Legislative Council. He was the former president of Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal (Secular).
K. Sharanappa Eshwarappa is an Indian politician and a senior Bharatiya Janata Party member, who was the 6th Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, in the government headed by Jagadish Shettar. He has also served as the Minister for Energy, Minister for major irrigation and water resources and also the State President of BJP Karnataka unit. On 20 August 2019 he was inducted as a Cabinet Minister in the BJP government led by B.S. Yediyurappa. He was Minister of State for Rural development and Panchayat Raj of Karnataka from 20 August 2019 to 14 April 2022. He served as Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council (2014-2018).
Although India is a parliamentary democracy, the country's politics has become dynastic or with high level of nepotism, possibly due to the absence of party organizations, independent civil-society associations which mobilize support for a party, or centralized financing of elections. The dynastic phenomenon is present at the national, state, regional, and district level. The Nehru–Gandhi family has produced three Indian prime ministers, and family members have largely led the Congress party since 1978. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also has several dynastic leaders. In addition to the major national parties, other national and regional parties such as Shiromani Akali Dal, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal Secular, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Kerala Congress, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Indian Union Muslim League, AIMIM, and the Nationalist Congress Party are all dominated by families, mostly those of the party founders.
Jagadish Shivappa Shettar is an Indian politician, who served as the 15th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 2012 to 2013. He is currently serving as Member of Karnataka Legislative Council. He has subsequently served as Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. He also served as the Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly during 2008–2009. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Earlier in 2023 he had joined the Indian National Congress, where he quit the BJP on being denied the MLA ticket in 2023. He represented Hubli-Dharwad Central Vidhan Sabha seat, which he resigned in 2023 before the elections.
Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda is an Indian politician who served as the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers of India in the Second Modi ministry from 14 November 2018 to 7 July 2021. He also served as the Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation of India from 5 July 2016 to 24 May 2019 in the First Modi ministry. He is representing the Bangalore North constituency. He also held Ministry of Railways and other cabinet positions in the First Modi ministry. He also served as the 14th Chief Minister of Karnataka.
C. P. Joshi is an Indian politician and a five-time MLA from Nathdwara, Rajasthan. He was born in a Brahmin family in Nathdwara, Rajasthan and he is a member of the Indian National Congress. He is the current Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. Previously, he was the Member of Parliament of India from Bhilwara in the 15th Lok Sabha. He was one of the first 19 members of India's new cabinet sworn in on 22 May 2009, despite being a first-time member of the Lok Sabha. As a union minister, Joshi held key portfolios like Road Transport and Highways, and Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in the Second Manmohan Singh ministry. Moreover, he was also a Cabinet Minister of the Government of Rajasthan from 1998 to 2003.
Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala is an Indian statesman who was the 12th Governor of Karnataka from 1 September 2014 to 6 July 2021. He is also the longest-serving governor for Karnataka after Khurshed Alam Khan.
Kombarana Ganapathy Bopaiah is an Indian politician who served as the Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. He is affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has been appointed as the pro tem speaker of the Legislative Assembly by the Governor of Karnataka.
Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri is an Indian politician who was the 22nd Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka. He was a six-term and Formal Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Sirsi. He served as the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education from 2008 to 2013 in the Government of Karnataka. He also served as the 22nd Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from 31 June 2019 to 20 May 2023.
Ramaiah Ashoka is an Indian politician who served as the 6th Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka. He now currently serving as Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly (2023-), previously served as the Deputy Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Minister of Revenue, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Transport under the BJP government. He has also served as the Minister of Health and Family Welfare under the coalition government of BJP and JDS. He is a Seven-time MLA for Padmanabhanagar Assembly Constituency.
Daradahalli Byregowda Chandregowda was an Indian politician who was Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly, three-term MLA, one-term MLC, and Member of Parliament—three-terms from Lok Sabha and one-term from Rajya Sabha.
Chikkamagaravalli Thimme Gowda Ravi is an Indian politician who was the former National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party and a four-time legislator from Chikmagalur Constituency of Karnataka State from 2004 to 2023. He was a cabinet minister in the Government of Karnataka.He resigned his post as the cabinet minister after being appointed the National General secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mandepanda Poovaiah Appachu Ranjan is an Indian politician who was the former Minister for Youth Services and Sports in Karnataka, a state in Southern India. He is a leader of the BJP in Karnataka and a fifth time Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Madikeri Constituency in Kodagu district, Karnataka. He belongs to the Kodava Hindu community.
Ramesh Jarkiholi an Indian politician, former minister of Water Resources in the Government of Karnataka, between 2020 and 2021. As member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he represents Gokak in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. He previously served as the Minister for Municipal Administration.
Pramod Madhwaraj is an Indian politician and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party from the state of Karnataka. In June 2016 Madhwaraj was inducted into the Siddaramaiah led government of Karnataka as a cabinet minister with Independent Charge. Madhwaraj holds the Youth Empowerment and Sports Department, Fisheries Department portfolio in the Government of Karnataka. He is the 10th richest minister in Karnataka to be sworn into the Karnataka Cabinet. Madhwaraj was born in Koli caste of Karnataka state of India.
Kandam Ramaiah Ramesh Kumar is an Indian politician who was the 16th speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly from 25 May 2018 to 29 July 2019, previously from 1994 to 1999 and member of the Indian National Congress from the state of Karnataka.
The 2018 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election was held on 12 May 2018 in 222 constituencies to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The election was postponed in Jayanagar and Rajarajeshwari Nagar, following the death of the MLA B. N. Vijaya Kumar and a voter fraud scandal respectively till 28 May. The election saw a voter turnout of 72.13 per cent, the highest in Karnataka since several decades. The counting of votes took place on 15 May 2018.
The 2019 Karnataka political crisis was a period of political instability when members of the legislative assembly in the Indian State of Karnataka submitted their resignations, which led to the fall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state.
