Bengaluru: BJP Karnataka Chief BS Yeddyurappa is going to stake a claim on Wednesday afternoon to become the chief minister of the state. As of now, there is no doubt that the current leader of the opposition in the state Assembly will be re-elected as the leader of the legislature party and become the new chief minister of the state.
If this happens, BS Yeddyurappa will be the first leader in the state to become Chief Minister for the fourth time, but what is all the more interesting is that his own party will mend an age-old rule, making an exception for him. Born in February 1946, BSY is already 76-years-old and the BJP has always maintained a 75-year retirement norm.
There have been examples in the past where the party had strictly adhered to this unwritten rule. May it be former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel or former ministers-Najma Heptullah and GM Siddeshwara in the previous Modi regime, they all resigned on turning 75. However, there has also been an example of the party making exception too and this time, it looks like the party is going to make one for the sake of its CM face in Karnataka.
BSY has struggled to build the party in the southern state of Karnataka over the last several decades and if the rule is changed to accommodate him, then it will only speak volumes on the importance of the Lingayat strongman at the national level.
As per sources, BSY is all set to take oath as the CM on Thursday and many say that he will be the only one who will take oath, just as he did in May last year, when his term ended within 24 hours of taking oath, after the Congress and the JD(S) joined hands to topple him.
The BJP currently has 105 members in the Assembly. The fate of 20 MLAs including 13 from the Congress and three from the JD(S), as also four other MLAs who abstained on some pretext has to be decided. The lone BSP MLA who was expelled on Tuesday by Mayawati will join the BJP.
It is likely that before new chief minister moves a vote of confidence, he will seek a vote of no confidence in the present Speaker and have a new Speaker elected from his own party to conduct proceedings.
(Inputs from Firstpost)
