Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa raised eyebrows on Sunday, by stating that he was happy to have chosen D V Sadananda Gowda as the chief minister.

Yeddyurappa said Gowda had presented a good budget and that he was not sure whether he would have presented such a budget if he were the chief minister.

He was speaking to reporters in the City. Expressing disappointment at the drubbing the party received in the Udupi-Chikmagalur bypoll, the former chief minister said there was a need for senior party leaders to introspect on the defeat. 

“This is the first election in my political career in which I did not campaign. The chief minister himself said there are eight more cases pending against me. I did not campaign as I did not want to embarrass the party. But that was not the reason for the party’s defeat. I will campaign in the next polls,” Yeddyurappa said. 

He said his supporters had gathered at the resort only to disprove the feelers from the party office to the high command that there were hardly 10 MLAs with him (Yeddyurappa). “I went to the resort on their insistence. I am unhappy over this development,” the former chief minister said.

Expressing confidence in the party high command - which he claimed had promised to reinstate him once he was exonerated in the Lokayukta case on illegal mining - Yeddyurappa, however, said he had no powers to question them. 

“I will be happy even if I am not given any position. It is left to the high command to utilise my services,” he said. 

Asserting that it was left to the high command to continue Gowda as the chief minister, Yeddyurappa said the recent incidents had not hampered development works and that all ministers were discharging their duties. 

He said he would, henceforth, attend party programmes to which he is invited. Yeddyurappa said a programme had been organised in Shimoga on March 31. The issue of Cabinet expansion was left to the chief minister, Yeddyurappa added.