New Delhi: BJP’s B S Yeddyurappa on Monday took oath as Karnataka Chief Minister, ending days of political uncertainties and marking the beginning of the saffron party’s journey down south India.
Governor Rameshwar Thakur administered oath of office and secrecy to Yeddyurappa, Govind M Karajol, V S Acharya, Jagadish Shettar and R Ashok (all four of cabinet rank) on the portals of Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat, at a function witnessed by a galaxy of BJP leaders and thousands of party activists.
Several JD(S) leaders including former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy - tipped to be the deputy chief minister in the Yeddyurappa government - attended the swearing-in ceremony, sending signals the partners remained united.
However, the new regime in Karnataka has not yet decided who will be the JD(S) candidate for the Deputy CM’s post.
The JD(S) on Sunday announced plans that it wants all the 18 ministers of the party, including the deputy chief minister, to take oath in one-go either on November 19 or 21.
Talks were conducted on Sunday night among the senior JD(S) leaders, including former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, over selecting a Deputy Chief Ministerial candidate, but they proved inconclusive.
The selection has been deferred till beyond November 15.
Yeddyurappa is expected to seek vote of confidence on November 23. He represents Shikaripur in the Karnataka legislative assembly
Government, finally
The installation of the new government puts an end to more than a month-long suspense over the future of governance in the state.
President's rule was imposed in the state after former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy resigned on October 8 and BJP withdrawing support to the JD(S) after the latter refused to honour its power transfer agreement.
The government formation in Karnataka is also a red-letter day in the annals of the BJP's history, with the party forming a government south of the Vindhyas for the first time.
Gowda's announcement about the 'remarriage' with BJP, accusing the Congress of trying to divide his party, had come as a blessing in disguise for the party.
Yeddyurappa: The rabble-rouser
In 1982, the young, rabble-rouser B S Yeddyurappa led a 300-km long march of bonded labourers from his hometown Shikaripura in Shimoga district to Bangalore.
The BJP was a non-entity in Karnataka politics back then. But that long march of the landless made him a hero overnight and his popularity level rose by several notches.
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The following year, Yeddyurappa entered the Assembly on a BJP ticket and was a part of the first non-Congress government led by Ramakrishna Hegde.
That Janata Party-BJP coalition government collapsed in just 18 months. But Yeddyurappa by then had carved out a niche for himself in state politics. He led the party from just 2 MLA s in 1985 to 79 MLA s in 2004.
And this son of the soil took up pro-farmer issues and led numerous agitations across the state in the next 15 years.
A powerful orator in Kannada, he spearheaded the political attack against both the Congress and Janata Dal governments.
Communal clashes disrupted normal life in Karnataka for almost 10 years between 1990-99. But through those years of violence, he managed to retain his secular image.
But it has not been a smooth ride for him. A powerful section in the BJP led by Ananthkumar spoiled his chances to aspire for and secure the top job. He had to face corruption charges.
The mysterious death of his wife in 2005 and his alleged affair with a BJP MLC caused a huge embarrassment to him and his party.
The person who had lost hope of leading the first BJP government in the South only a month ago is back in the drivers' seat. But then, his problems may have only just begun.
However for the moment, Yeddyurappa doesn't seem to be very worried about how long this renewed coalition will survive.
What matters most is that he's finally got the chair he's been chasing for the last 21 months and more importantly made a place for himself in the history books as the first BJP CM of a southern state.
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