Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala administers oath to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yeddyurappa as new CM
The Supreme Court will on Friday resume hearing on Congress petition challenging Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala’s decision to invite BS Yeddyurappa to take oath as the new chief minister of the state.
In historic pre-dawn hearing on Thursday, the apex court bench, comprising justices A.K. Sikri, S.A. Bobde and Ashok Bhushan, had refused to stay BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurppa’s swearing-in as Karnataka chief minister.
However, the bench had made it clear that the swearing-in and the government formation would be subject to its final order on the Congress-JD(S) petition before it.
The bench also directed that the letter sent by the Bharatiya Janata Party to Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala for forming the government be placed before it.
The bench posted the matter for further hearing at 10.30 am Friday, saying it will peruse the letter as it was necessary to decide the matter. It also issued notices to the Karnataka government and Yeddyurappa.
Earlier in the day, B S Yeddyurappa took the oath as Karnataka chief minister in the name of God and farmers amid chants of "Modi, Modi" and sloganeering at the Raj Bhavan.
The venue was all decked up for the culmination of a dramatic turn of events that had unfolded since the fractured mandate on May 15 with the BJP emerging as the single largest party but falling short of majority.
As Governor Vajubhai Vala administered Yeddyurappa the oath of secrecy and office, the man of the moment chose to take oath in the name of God and the farmers of Karnataka.
The 75-year old Lingayat strongman, who became chief minister for a second time, was projected in the run-up to assembly election as 'Raitha Bandhu' - the friend of the farmers.
Before leaving for Raj Bhavan, Yeddyurappa paid his obeisance at the Radhakrishna Temple in Bengaluru.
He was accompanied by his sons B Y Raghavendra and B Y Vijayendra, senior party functionaries including union ministers D V Sadananda Gowda and Prakash Javadekar and BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao.
Amid Vedic hymns and playing of musical instrument 'Naadaswaram', the special prayers were performed.
After the swearing in, Yeddyurappa drove to the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat, and bowed at the entrance steps before entering his office as the new chief minister of the state.
Later in the day, Yeddyurappa said aid he was "100 per cent sure" of winning the vote of confidence in the assembly and completing the five-year term.
He slammed the Congress-JDS alliance as "unholy" and charged they were out to grab power though the people had "rejected them outright".
"I am sure of winning the vote of confidence and my government completing five years," said Yeddyurappa, who has been given 15-days window by Governor Vajubhai Vala in a controversial decision that has been challenged in the Supreme Court.
He was addressing his first press conference soon after taking the oath following an overnight legal battle in the Supreme Court where the Congress-JDS combine made a desperate push to stall the government formation.
Yeddyurappa also appealed to the legislators to vote according to their "conscience" and uphold the people's mandate.
"I am 100 per cent sure of the success," he said, striking a confident note on emerging victorious in the trial of strength in the assembly.
"I have people's support for me and my party," said Yeddyurappa, who has now a tough task to muster the numbers to reach the half mark of 112.
The BJP has emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats in the May 12 elections which threw up a hung assembly.
BS Yeddyurappa also said he will soon waive off crop loans of farmers across the state in line with BJP election pledge.
“I had promised the farmers that I would waive off crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh soon after I become the chief minister. I have already conveyed to the Chief Secretary (K. Ratna Prabha) to give me the details and we will announce the waiver within two days,” Yeddyurappa told media persons.
Watch video: Yeddyurappa takes oath as new Karnataka CM
(With agency inputs)
