Bengaluru: Senior BJP leader and former CM B.S. Yeddyurappa was sworn in as the 24th chief minister of Karnataka at 9 am here on Thursday by state governor Vajubhai Vala and took his oath in the name of “God and farmers”. This came after the Supreme Court, after an extraordinary hearing for over three hours in the early hours Thursday, refused to issue a stay order on the swearing-in as sought by the Congress and Janata Dal(S).
As Congress and JD(S) held a protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue near the Vidhana Soudha, the 75-year-old Lingayat strongman walked into Raj Bhavan, a green shawl thrown over his shoulders, to a rousing welcome by party workers and leaders to be sworn in for the third time as Karnataka’s CM. After a brief meeting with state officials, he addressed a press conference where he told the waiting media that he would prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly even before the 15 days given by the governor were up, and was confident that all 224 MLAs would go by theirconscience and vote in favour of the people’s verdict.
“The Congress and the JD(S) formed an unholy alliance even after the people rejected them. We are confident we will win the trust vote and rule for five years. I will not wait for the 15 days to prove my majority,” he said. But Mr Yeddyurappa did not explain how his government intended to get the support. Saying that he was “101 per cent sure” of winning the trust vote and forming a full-fledged government, Mr Yeddyurappa said he would invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah and other senior BJP leaders on the occasion.
