| Post: | Governor of Karnataka |
| Insignia: | Seal of Karnataka.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 120 |
| Insigniacaption: | Emblem of Karnataka |
| Incumbent: | Thawar Chand Gehlot |
| Incumbentsince: | 11 July 2021 |
| Residence: | Raj Bhavan, Bengaluru |
| Termlength: | Five years |
| Appointer: | President of India |
| Inaugural: | Mohan Lal Sukhadia |
| Precursor: | Governor of Mysore |
| Status: | Head of State |
The governor of Karnataka, formerly governor of Mysore, is the constitutional head of the Indian state of Karnataka. The governor is appointed by the president of India for a term of five years, and holds office at the president's pleasure. The governor is de jure head of the government of Karnataka; all its executive actions are taken in the governor's name. However, the governor must act on the advice of the popularly elected council of ministers, headed by the chief minister of Karnataka, which thus holds de facto executive authority in the state. The Constitution of India also empowers the governor to act upon his or her own discretion, such as the ability to appoint or dismiss a ministry, recommend President's rule, or reserve bills for the president's assent. Over the years, the exercise of these discretionary powers have given rise to conflict between the elected chief minister and the central government–appointed governor.[1]
Since 1956, eighteen people have served as the governor of Mysore (as the state was known before 1 November 1973) and Karnataka. The first was Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, who was the state's rajpramukh from 1950 to 1956. A majority of Karnataka's governors have been politicians (ten), another five have been civil servants. V. V. Giri went on become the fourth president of India, and Gopal Swarup Pathak the country's fourth vice president. Smt V. S. Ramadevi was the first and only woman governor of Karnataka (1999–2002) and also holds the record of first woman chief election commissioner in india.
| No | Name | Portrait | Term of office | scope=col | Duration | Selected former office(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 August 1947 | 25 January 1950 | Yuvaraja of Mysore | ||||
| No | Name | Portrait | Term of office | scope=col | Duration | Selected former office(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 January 1950 | 31 October 1956 | Maharaja of Mysore | ||||
This is a list of governors of Karnataka:
| List of Diwans of Mysore | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chief Ministers of Mysore State (1947–1956) | ||
| Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (1947–1956) | K. Chengalaraya Reddy | Oct 1947 - Mar 1952 |
| K. Hanumanthaiah | Mar 1952 - Aug 1956 | |
| Kadidal Manjappa | Aug 1956 - Oct 1956 | |
| Chief Ministers of Reorganised Mysore State (1956–1972) | ||
| Rajpramukh Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (1956-1963) | S. Nijalingappa | Nov 1956 - May 1958 |
| B. D. Jatti | May 1958 - Mar 1962 | |
| S. R. Kanthi | Mar 1962 - Jun 1962 | |
| S. Nijalingappa | Jun 1962 - May 1964 | |
| S M Srinagesh (1964-1965) | May 1964 - 1965 | |
| V. V. Giri (1965-1967) | 1965 - 1967 | |
| Gopal Swarup Pathak (1967-1969) | 1967 - May 1968 | |
| Veerendra Patil | May 1968 - 1969 | |
| Dharma Vira (1969-1972) | 1969 - Mar 1971 | |
| Chief Ministers of Karnataka (1972-present) | ||
| Mohanlal Sukhadia (1972-1975) | D. Devaraj Urs | Mar 1972 - 1975 |
| Uma Shankar Dikshit (1975-1977) | 1972 - Dec 1977 | |
| Govind Narain (1977-1982) | Feb 1977 - Jan 1980 | |
| R. Gundu Rao | Jan 1980 - 1982 | |
| Ashoknath Banerji (1982-1987) | 1982 - Jan 1983 | |
| Ramakrishna Hegde | Jan 1983 - 1987 | |
| Pendekanti Venkatasubbaiah (1987-1990) | 1987 - Aug 1988 | |
| S. R. Bommai | Aug 1988 - Apr 1989 | |
| Veerendra Patil | Nov 1989 - Oct 1990 | |
| Bhanu Pratap Singh (1990-1992) | S. Bangarappa | Oct 1990- Nov 1992 |
| Khurshed Alam Khan (1992-1999) | M. Veerappa Moily | Nov 1992 - Dec 1994 |
| H. D. Deve Gowda | Dec 1994 - May 1996 | |
| J. H. Patel | May 1996 - Oct 1999 | |
| V. S. Ramadevi (1999-2002) | S. M. Krishna | Oct 1999 - 2002 |
| T. N. Chaturvedi (2002-2007) | 2002 - May 2004 | |
| Dharam Singh | May 2004 - Jan 2006 | |
| H. D. Kumaraswamy | Feb 2006 - Oct 2007 | |
| Rameshwar Thakur (2007-2009) | B. S. Yeddyurappa | Nov 2007 - Nov 2007 |
| May 2008 - 2009 | ||
| Hans Raj Bhardwaj (2009-2014) | 2009 - Jul 2011 | |
| D. V. Sadananda Gowda | Jul 2011 - Jul 2012 | |
| Jagadish Shettar | Jul 2012 - May 2013 | |
| Siddaramaiah | May 2013 - 2014 | |
| Konijeti Rosaiah (2014) | 2014 | |
| Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala (2014-2021) | 2014 - 2018 | |
| H. D. Kumaraswamy | 2018 - 2019 | |
| B. S. Yeddyurappa | 2019 - 2021 | |
| Thawar Chand Gehlot (2021-present) | 2021 - 2023 | |
| Siddaramaiah | 2023-present | |