The Governor of Karnataka is the nominal head of the state. The President of India directly appoints the Governor for a period of 5 years. The Governor’s powers and functions at the state level are similar to those of the President of India at Union level.
The primary function of the Governor is to defend, protect, and preserve the Constitution and the law. The Governor of Karnataka can exercise the following powers:
- Executive powers in relation to administration, appointments, and removals
- Legislative powers in relation to law making and the Karnataka State Legislature
- Discretionary powers that can be applied as per the discretion of the Governor
The list of Governors of Karnataka since the formation of the state is as follows:
| Sl No | Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jayachamaraja Wodeyar | 1 November 1956 | 4 May 1964 |
| 2 | S M Srinagesh | 4 May 1964 | 2 April 1965 |
| 3 | V. V. Giri | 2 April 1965 | 13 May 1967 |
| 4 | Gopal Swarup Pathak | 13 May 1967 | 30 August 1969 |
| 5 | Dharma Vira | 23 October 1969 | 1 February 1972 |
| 6 | Mohanlal Sukhadia | 1 February 1972 | 10 January 1976 |
| 7 | Uma Shankar Dikshit | 10 January 1976 | 2 August 1977 |
| 8 | Govind Narain | 2 August 1977 | 15 April 1983 |
| 9 | Ashoknath Banerji | 16 April 1983 | 25 February 1989 |
| 10 | Pendekanti Venkatasubbaiah | 26 February 1988 | 5 February 1990 |
| 11 | Bhanu Pratap Singh | 8 May 1990 | 6 January 1991 |
| 12 | Khurshed Alam Khan | 6 January 1991 | 2 December 1999 |
| 13 | V. S. Ramadevi | 2 December 1999 | 20 August 2002 |
| 14 | T. N. Chaturvedi | 21 August 2002 | 20 August 2007 |
| 15 | Rameshwar Thakur | 21 August 2007 | 24 June 2009 |
| 16 | H. R. Bhardwaj | 24 June 2009 | 29 June 2014 |
| 17 | Dr. K. Rosaiah | 29 June 2014 | 31 August 2014 |
| 18 | Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala | 1 September 2014 | July 6, 2021 |
| 19 | Thawarchand Gehlot | July 6, 2021 | Present |