JOIN USB S Yeddyurappa took the support of six Independents to install first BJP government in the South.
Of the six, two -- Anand Asnotikar and Goolihatti Shekhar - are into mining business and they have now identified themselves with the Reddy brothers of Bellary. Even Independent MLA Shivanagouda Naik is a staunch follower of Reddys. It is an open secret that the CM took the ‘help’ of Reddys to win various elections conducted in the last 15 months.
The BJP came to power in Karnataka twice. During its first tryst with power, it had tied up with the JD(S) and could not continue after 20 months as the JD(S) reneged on the power sharing pact. The party was forced to move out of the coalition. This time, despite having emerged the single largest party, it is facing trouble well before completing 20 months.
Here is a recap of the events that State politics witnessed in the last five years.
* April 2004 - BJP emerged single largest party with 79 MLAs; But Cong-JD(S) coalition comes to power
* Jan 2006 - BJP forms the govt with the JD(S)
* Sept 2007 - JD(S) completes 20-month term; Refuses to hand over CM’s post to BJP
* Oct 2007 - BJP comes out of the BJP-JD(S) coalition
* May 2008 - Elections to Karnataka Assembly
* May 2008 - BJP emerges single largest party with 110 seats; 3 short of majority.
* May 30, 2008 - Yeddyurappa takes oath; six Independents support BJP rule
* Induction of Shobha into the cabinet irks party men
* July 5 - Operation Kamala launched; 3 MLAs of opposite parties resign, join the BJP
* July 6 - Fourth MLA joins the BJP; party loyalists oppose the Operation
* Aug 24 - Horticulture minister S K Bellubbi resigns to accommodate party-hopper Umesh Katti
* Dec 2008 - By-election to 8 seats; BJP bags 5 of them
* May 2009 - Lok Sabha election; Yeddyurappa fields his son from Shimoga, many in the party oppose
* May 2009 - BJP bags 19 seats in the state
* June 2009 - Krishnaiah Setty resigns as minister to accommodate V Somanna, another party-hopper
* July 2009 - Eshwarappa criticises Yeddyurappa’s style of functioning
* Aug 2009 - By-election to 5 seats; BJP bags 2; Somanna defeated, resigns as minister
* Oct 2009 - Floods in NK
* Oct 26 - Karunakara Reddy holds a meeting with supporters at his residence
* Oct 28 - Reddy group launches construction of houses for flood victims in Bellary
* Oct 28 - CM transfers three officers of Bellary and secretary of Health; Arun Jaitley arrives in Bangalore
* Oct 29 - Jaitley holds talks with both groups; fails to solve the issue; rebel MLAs camp in Hyderabad, Goa
* Oct 29 - Karunakara Reddy made much debated statement “Kamsa will be killed.”
* Oct 30 - Scene shifts to Delhi
* Nov 1, 2, 3, 4 - Talks in Delhi
* Nov 6 - CM transfers his principal secretary Baligar.