Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party chief BS Yediyurappa took oath as the state’s chief minister on Friday. He said he will prove majority in the state Assembly on Monday, July 29, at 10 am. Earlier in the day, Yediyurappa had met Governor Vajubhai Vala to stake claim to form the government.
Former chief ministers HD Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) and Siddaramaiah of the Congress did not attend the oath-taking ceremony. Yediyurappa had invited the two leaders. The Congress boycotted the swearing-in.
Meanwhile, state Chief Secretary TM Vijaybhaskar said Yediyurappa had suggested that all departmental secretaries put on hold the orders given by Kumaraswamy in July, until they are looked into, ANI reported.
“I thank people of the state who gave me the opportunity to be the chief minister,” Yediyurappa said after becoming chief minister, ANI reported. “My chief minister’s post is the respect to the people of the state.”
Yediyurappa said he would discuss Cabinet formation with BJP National President Amit Shah and other leaders. “If necessary, I will go to Delhi tomorrow, we will take the decision afterwards,” he added.
During the debate on the trust vote in the Assembly, the BJP had accused the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government and Kumaraswamy of clearing projects and transfer of officials, despite not having a majority, PTI reported.
The state needed a new chief minister after the 14-month-old ruling coalition of Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) lost a trust vote in the Assembly on Tuesday. Ninety-nine MLAs voted in favour of the ruling coalition, while 105 legislators went against it. The coalition government had come to power in May last year and the next election is due in 2023.
The trust vote was necessitated after 15 MLAs of the alliance resigned. On Thursday, Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh disqualified three rebel MLAs – R Shankar, Ramesh Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumathahalli – who withdrew support to the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress government. He added that he would decide on the remaining 12 resignations “in a couple of days”.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s national media head Anil Baluni said the new dispensation will be development-oriented and stable, unlike the previous “unholy alliance” of the Congress and the JD(S). “This government is as per the mandate given by the people of Karnataka,” Baluni was quoted as saying. “An unholy alliance was formed between the Congress and the JD(S), which was not according to the mandate of the people of the state.”
Karnataka ended up with a fractured mandate after Assembly elections in May 2018. The BJP was the largest party with 105 seats, but it was eight short of the majority mark of 113. The party still went ahead to stake claim, hoping to get Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs on board before a floor test. Yediyurappa took oath as chief minister, only to resign two days later before the trust vote could take place.
The Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), which were able to cross the majority mark together, formed a post-poll alliance to form the government, with HD Kumaraswamy as chief minister. The ruling coalition had a difficult run for 14 months.
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