BS Yediyurappa travels in his ‘lucky’ Amby

SHIVAMOGGA: BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa was the cynosure when he arrived in his iconic Ambassador to witness his son BY Vijayendra file nomination papers for the Shikaripura seat in Shivamogga. Yediyurappa had boarded the car at his farmhouse some 20km away and arrived in the town in style.
The white ‘Amby’ has been a Yediyurappa indentification marker of sorts since the 1970s. The car was the Lingayat strongman’s constant companion when he crisscrossed Karnataka trying to build the party from scratch in the 80s and 90s.
Although Yediyurappa didn’tknow how to drive then, he purchased the Amby from a businessman in Shivamogga town in 1974. It was the registration number — CKR 45 — that attracted him to the car. Incidentally, all the vehicles his family has bought since then have the same numbers (4545), including a Toyota Vellfire.
Yediyurappa is a firm believer in numerology and considers nine his lucky number. His birth date, (February) 27, adds up to nine.
Vijayendra said the car is his father’s favourite. “Yediyurappa’s political journey began with this Ambassador. It is a lucky car for the family,” Vijayendra said.