KARNATAKA BJP stalwart B S Yediyurappa was sworn in as Chief Minister of the State for a fourth time on Friday in a sudden twist to the protracted high voltage political drama in the State with a big challenge to manage numbers staring him in the face.

 

Shortly after taking the oath, Yediyurappa said he would move a motion of confidence in the Assembly on July 29 to prove his majority, apparently confident of winning it with the expectation that 16 rebel Congress and JDS MLAs may abstain as they did on Tuesday last, giving him the edge.

 

Yediyurappa alone took the oath succeeding H D Kumaraswamy three days after the Congress-JDS coalition Government crumbled under the weight of a rebellion by a big chunk of its lawmakers, 20 of whom were absent for the voting that led to the defeat of its trust vote by 99-105. 

Of the 20, three have been disqualified by the Assembly Speaker on Thursday while the lone BSP MLA’s stand is not clear.

 

Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 76-year old Yediyurappa, credited with leading the BJP to its first ever Government in the south in 2008, at a brief function in the Raj Bhawan in the evening.

 

The Lingayat strongman’s move to stake claim for the Government formation came as a sudden development on Friday morning, a day after Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar disqualified three rebel Congress MLAs, heightening suspense over a new dispensation being in place.

 

Speaking about the sudden turn of events on Government formation, Yediyurappa told BJP workers before the swearing in that party national President and Home Minister Amit Shah spoke over phone to him in the morning and asked him to prepare for the oath on Friday.

 

The BJP veteran, who changed the spelling of his name from Yeddyurappa to Yediyurappa with the move becoming public on Friday, is making it to mantle of chief ministership 14 months after he demitted the coveted office being unable to prove the majority in the State Assembly.

 

In Delhi, BJP Working President J P Nadda dismissed Opposition’s claim that his party engineered defections to bring down the coalition Government and said it fell due to its internal reasons and asserted the BJP will provide a stable regime. On Yediyurappa being over the 75-year-age bar the party has stipulated for its leaders holding any Government position, Nadda said the Karnataka veteran was the leader of the BJP Legislature Party in the State and was natural for him to be the party’s choice for the Chief Minister’s post.

 

Replying to questions from reporters, he said, “It depends... You see, first of all he is a leader, he is an elected leader of the legislature party. Accordingly, he is taking oath. It is a continuous process and the party takes note of ongoing developments from time to time.”

 

Speaking to reporters after the swearing in, Yediyurappa said, “The Karnataka Assembly session will be called on July 29, on Monday at 10 AM for moving confidence motion and for the passage of the Finance Bill.” Friday’s drama unfolded when Yediyurappa made a sudden announcement in the morning that he would meet the Governor to stake claim to form the Government on Friday itself and rushed to the Raj Bhawan. Soon thereafter, he emerged out of the meeting with Vala with a letter from the Governor inviting him to form the Government. “I have requested Governor to administer me oath between 6-6.15 PM as the Chief Minister. The Governor has agreed and given me a letter,” Yediyurappa told reporters.

 

After the disqualification of three rebel Congress MLAs, the current strength of the 225-member Assembly excluding the Speaker is 221 and the half-way mark 111.

 

Present party position is BJP along with one Independent 106, Congress 76 (including MLAs decision on whose resignations and disqualification plea is pending), JD(S) 37 (including resigned and pending disqualification), one BSP, one Nominated and the Speaker, who has a casting vote in case of a tie.

 

BJP President Amit Shah congratulated Yediyurappa after he took oath as Chief Minister and expressed confidence the party will run a stable, pro-farmer and development-oriented Government under him.

 

The Congress slammed the move for Government formation, saying that since the BJP did not have the numerical strength, it could not stake claim nor take the oath for any reason. The JD(S) dubbed the Governor’s decision to permit the BJP leader to take oath without raising any questions on the numbers was ‘anti-democratic’.

Yediyurappa has instructed heads of all departments to put on hold orders relating to new projects that were issued in the current month by the H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition Government until further review.