BSY: The Karnataka strongman who never completed his term
Bengaluru, July 26: BS Yediyurappa, considered the face of the BJP in Karnataka on Monday resigned as chief minister of Karnataka. He is the only man to serve as the CM for four times in Karnataka and also the only one to serve 3 times as the leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
Ironically, in his four term as chief minister of Karnataka, only state where the BJP is in power, Yediyurappa could not complete a five-year term in office as chief minister.
19 November, 2007: Eight Days as CM
BSY's first stint in power came when he helped Janata Dal (Secular) leader H. D. Kumaraswamy bring down the coalition government headed by Congress' Dharam Singh and form an alternative government with BJP. As per the terms of the agreement Kumaraswamy was to be the CM for first 20 months and BSY was to be the CM for the next 20 months.
There was an impasse that lasted for about a week, before the JD(S) said that it would honour the arrangement. However after being sworn in as CM, Yeddyurappa had to step down on November 19 2007 as the JD(S) withdrew support. Yeddyurappa announced on the floor of the House that he was stepping down as the CM and would face the elections.
31 July, 2011: Three and Half Years as CM)
In the 2008 elections, the BJP came to power with a landslide victory and Yeddyurappa was sworn in as CM on May 30 2008. However owing to the mining scam, a Lokayukta report and allegations of corruption, Yeddyurappa was forced to step down on the directions of the central leadership. He resigned as the CM on August 4 2011.
19 May, 2018: Two and Half Days as CM
The third time, he was sworn in as the CM was after the 2018 elections. The BJP with 105 seats fell short of the majority mark in the 224 member house. However being the single largest party, Yeddyurappa staked a claim and was sworn in on May 17 2018.
He however did not have the numbers in the House and before taking the trust vote, decided to step down. He resigned as CM on May 23 2018, paving the way for a JD(S)-Congress government, which collapsed earlier this week.
26 July, 2021: Two Years as CM
During 2018 elections, Karnataka gave a fractured mandate in the Assembly polls and the BJP fell short of majority in the House. While the opposition Congress - JD(S) alliance came to power with Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister.
A year later, Yediyurappa was able to form the government after 17 MLAs from Kumaraswamy government supported the BJP.
Since the, BJP MLAs including Basanagouda Patil Yatnal have been opposing Yediyurappa style of working and openly issued statements against the BJP CM. The COVID crisis also amounted to charges of mismanagement.
Finally, after months of speculation, Yediyurappa stepped down on the day he celebrated two years of his governance.