BS Yediyurappa
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Contents |
A brief biography
Political career
Till June 2021
ManuAiyappa Kanathanda, July 27, 2021: The Times of India
Hotseat took on a new meaning whenever BS Yediyurappa assumed the high office of chief minister. Every time, it has been an “agni pariksha”, triggered by political upheaval, graft charges or natural calamities. So though he single-handedly managed to form a BJP government in the south for the first time, and brought it to office another three times, he never completed a full term in office.
In all, Yediyurappa kept the chair for just 5 years, 2 months and 9 days. These include the seven days during his first term in November 2007 and three days in May 2018. While he never had a stable government, due to lack of majority, it did not help that dissidence had become a norm in the party. Monday’s mid-term resignation was his fourth since becoming the chief minister for the first time in 2007. He first resigned days after taking over as CM when JD(S) withdrew support to BJP by breaking the 20:20 power-sharing pact. However, it helped his cause as BJP managed to return to office in 2008, crying betrayal.
Yediyurappa had to step down in 2011 after he was indicted by then Lokayukta Justice Santosh N Hegde in his report on illegal mining. It was his longest tenure — three years and two months.
In 2018, Karnataka turned in a fractured mandate and BJP, led by Yediyurappa, again fell short of simple majority with 104 MLAs. Though Congress and JD(S) had formed a post-poll alliance, then Governor Vajubhai R Vala chose to invite Yediyurappa to form the government and prove his majority. He stepped down in three days.
Though he began his fourth stint on a fiery note, the unprecedented floods that hit 25 of the state’s 30 districts swamped his first three months. He had to manage the show single-handedly as the party brass did not greenlight a cabinet expansion. If there’s some satisfaction he can draw as he exits, it is that he virtually decimated the opposition these two years, even bagging a majority of the bypolls.
YEAR-WISE DEVELOPMENTS
2019
New spelling brings him luck
ManuAiyappa Kanathanda, Dec 10, 2019 Times of India
BENGALURU: Last May, BS Yediyurappa had to step down as chief minister within 56 hours of being sworn-in after Supreme Court gave him a day to prove his majority in the assembly. This July, he became chief minister after a dramatic vote count in which the JD(S)-Congress government collapsed after 17 MLAs of the ruling combine defected to BJP.
Yediyurappa needed this big bypoll victory to legitimise his rule as in the last year and half it often looked as if he had lost his touch. The new spelling of his name (it was earlier Yeddyurappa) has obviously brought him good luck as BJP swept the polls winning 12 of the 15 seats. It must be particularly satisfying to him that it has resulted not only in the humbling of his rivals but also in the resignations of Siddharamaiah and Dinesh Gundurao from leadership roles in Congress. That the H D Deve Gowda family has drawn a blank in its heartland of Mandya must be particularly gratifying.
The 76-year-old Lingayat strongman’s ‘Man of the Match’ performance has once for all quelled all rumours of the BJP leadership planning to ‘retire’ him. This strong performance strengthens him and he will now have a fairly free hand in running the state as the earlier appointment of three deputy CMs was seen as an attempt by the BJP high command to rein him in.
It is widely believed that it was Yediyurappa’s promise to make the disqualified MLAs ministers after their victory that turned the tide for BJP. They worked extra zealously to return to the assembly as their entire political careers were at stake.
Said political analyst M N Patil: “What remains to be seen is two things: One, how he handles them in the cabinet and how he handles the growing frustration among loyal party leaders and ministerial aspirants. The second aspect would be the most critical from now on.”
