YEDDY, STEADY GO
The born-again chief minister and Lingayat strongman B.S. Yeddyurappa is often described as “a man in a hurry” for his quick political decisions— be it extending support to the Janata Dal (Secular) in 2006 or snapping ties with the BJP in 2012. This time too, the BJP chief ministerial candidate rued the “missed opportunity” of an alliance with the JD(S) soon after it became evident that his party would fall short of the magic number in Karnataka. Apparently, he was “restrained” by the party’s national leaders. But with the Karnataka governor inviting the BJP to form government (surprising the Congress-JD (S) alliance), Yeddyurappa now has another chance. It is unclear as to how he will prove his majority by May 30, but he will be determined to make a difference this time if he sails through. “He has fought hard to come back to this position. Last time around, his government (20082011) was brought down by scams and nepotism. With the BJP in power at the Centre, he will want to show that he is a better administrator,” says political analyst Dr A. Veerappa in Bengaluru.
Though Yeddyurappa faced 50-plus cases of land-grab, nepotism, mining scams and bribery, a majority of them were quashed. After returning to the BJP and winning the parliamentary polls in 2014, he gradually moved up the ladder. In 2016, he became BJP state president. Even before the elections, the BJP had projected him as the CM to woo their largest votebank, the Lingayats. The 2013 experience, when Yeddyurappa was leading the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP), was probably playing on their minds. The KJP candidates were second in a whopping 34 constituencies then, severely denting the BJP’s overall tally.
When Yeddyurappa was CM, the power centred around him, his family members and aide Shobha Karandlaje (now an MP). They were accused of hijacking the party. He was also in debt to the Ballari mine barons (Reddy brothers) who, with their ‘Operation Lotus’, had helped the BJP grab power when its numbers fell short in the assembly. Indeed, today there is speculation again that BJP may try the same tactics to secure a majority now. However, Yeddyurappa has steered clear of these developments. Apparently, the BJP national leaders have told him he will have a specific mandate if he becomes CM. “Last time, Yeddyurappa was a satrap, but this time BJP will ensure he works within a framework,” says a BJP leader close to him.
The party has already ensured that 2008 does not recur by denying tickets to any of Yeddyurappa’s family members. The Reddy brothers are being handled directly by the BJP’s central leaders and Yeddyurappa has been asked to take other leaders like Jagadish Shettar, Sadananda Gowda, Ananth Kumar, C.T. Ravi, Ananthkumar Hegde into confidence. “Yeddyurappa has risen from the dust and reached this level after several ups and downs. It’ll be interesting to see how he manages the situation,” says political scientist V.M. Madhav.