BSY sworn in as Karnataka CM; trust vote on Monday

Bengaluru: 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.

Before his oath, the 76-year-old changed the spelling of his name from "Yeddyurappa" to "Yediyurappa". The three-time chief minister, who has never completed a term, wants to take no chances this time. His first term lasted one week and the second term, three years. The third stint was just 48 hours long.

On Friday morning, Yediyurappa surprised many by heading to Governor Vajubhai Vala's home and asking to be sworn in, after a two-day wait for a go-ahead from his leadership in Delhi. The BJP was believed to be playing it safe to secure its numbers in the assembly but Yediyurappa reportedly persuaded BJP chief Amit Shah to let him take charge in Karnataka.

Sources say the green signal came after Karnataka BJP leaders assured Delhi that they had the support of the rebels and would win the vote. The rebels reportedly guaranteed their vote for the BJP in a video call with Karnataka leaders.

The BJP moved with alacrity a day after Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar disqualified three of the 17 rebel MLAs whose exits brought down the Congress-JDS coalition. See P5