New CM puts on merry show amid suspense

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has a litmus test ahead, but he made the most out of his first day as the head of the state, carrying a little worry on his face.

His oath-taking ceremony, regardless of the uncertainty ahead, was made into a grand affair with much fanfare outside Raj Bhavan.

After chairing his first Cabinet meeting and holding discussions with officials in the Vidhana Soudha, Yeddyurappa visited the BJP headquarters in Malleswaram, which was decked up in festive fervour. A rousing welcome awaited him at the party’s office. Inside, he was greeted with the traditional arathi.

“The government is ours now. Let’s face together whatever comes. Unlike the Congress and the JD(S), we are aware of the impact our actions have on people,” Yeddyurappa told party legislators. “The Congress and the JD(S) couldn’t withstand the BJP’s victory. But we don’t have to answer. People have already answered.”

Yeddyurappa also gave a clarion call to his party colleagues ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. “We must win all 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. Let’s work together. Let’s see why we can’t win all the seats.” The Lingayat strongman then visited the influential Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru and sought the blessings of the seminary’s pontiff Shivakumara Swami.

Party leaders Ananth Kumar and Shobha Karandlaje exuded confidence that the party will win the floor test.