Basavaraj Bommai, 61, a leader of the dominant Lingayat community and a close associate of B.S. Yediyurappa, was announced the new Chief Minister of Karnataka on Tuesday, following Yediyurappa’s resignation after two years at the helm. Chief Minister-designate Bommai on Tuesday said he would strive to offer relief to people affected by Covid-19 and floods, and improve the economic condition of the state hit by the pandemic.
“I will work day and night to offer relief to the people in distress due to Covid or the recent floods. I will initiate all steps to improve the economic condition of the state in the coming days,” Bommai told reporters.
Following pounding rains, parts of the state had witnessed floods in recent days. Soon after he was elected as the new leader of the BJP Legislature Party, Bommai thanked the BJP leaders, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and outgoing Chief Minister Yediyurappa who reposed faith in him to lead the state.
He said he would work hard to live up to the expectations of the Prime Minister and Yediyurppa on the development front. “I will win everyone’s trust with the help of my cabinet colleagues, and my party workers,” Bommai said. He said the seniors in the party have blessed him and he would take everyone along. Home district Haveri burst into jubilation and celebrations after the news break that Bommai will be the next Chief Minister replacing Yediyurappa. Shiggaon town in the district from where Bommai got elected to the Karnataka Assembly burst into jubilation. Bommai’s supporters hit the road, burst crackers and raised slogans in favour of their leader.
The 61-year-old, son of former Chief Minister late S.R. Bommai, was elected as leader of the BJP legislature party in Bengaluru. Bommai’s name was proposed by Yediyurappa at the Karnataka BJP legislature party meeting Tuesday evening, sources said. The other frontrunners were central BJP leader B.L. Santhosh, a Brahmin; Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, a Brahmin; and Arvind Bellad, an MLA with no administrative experience but who hails from the numerically large Panchamshali Lingayat group. Two last-minute contenders were S Angara, a six-time MLA from a Scheduled Caste community, who has been described as “a loyal worker” of the BJP and RSS from the coastal region, and Deputy Chief Minister from the Yediyurappa cabinet Govind Karjol, who is a close associate of the former Chief Minister.
The BJP legislature party met on Tuesday night at a hotel in Bengaluru to pick the new leader, with Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh and central observers Dharmendra Pradhan and Kishan Reddy supervising the process. The BJP is looking at completing the formalities of the appointment by Thursday. WITH AGENCY INPUTS
