In the parliamentary system of government, According to the Constitution of India, the Governor is Karnataka's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with its Chief Minister;[2][3] the position of deputy chief minister is used to bring political stability and strength within a coalition government or in times of hung assembly, when a proper chain of command is necessary[4] The first deputy chief minister of Karnataka was S. M. Krishna,[5] in M. Veerappa Moily's cabinet in 1992.

[6] When H. D. Kumaraswamy formed a government in 2018, G. Parameshwara was sworn-in as the deputy chief minister.

Yeddyurappa formed a government in 2019, three deputy chief ministers were sworn-in, C. N. Ashwath Narayan, Govind Karjol and Laxman Savadi.

For the first Karnataka witnessed three deputy chief ministers in office at the same time.

So far, Karnataka has witnessed 12 deputy chief ministers in nine terms; meanwhile, Siddaramaiah held the position twice.