Can Yeddyurappa stay for a full term?

With Congress on a protest, given his past terms and fallout with Modi-Shah, will Yeddyurappa be able to keep and perform in this full term?

The BJP Chief Ministerial face, BS Yeddyurappa, finally sworn in as the head of the state after ending the mystery around the 23^rd Chief Minister. This comes after the drama started to unfold after the early trends of Karnataka Assembly results on 15^th May pointed towards a hung assembly with no party getting the majority. Though BJP came out as the single largest party, it missed the magic number by just 8 seats. Congress swiftly came into action when it offered to support JD(S) unconditionally to form the government in Karnataka.

Congress-JD(S) alliance reached the governor’s office with majority to stake claim to form the government. BJP also claimed its stake to form the government since it is the single largest party. The governor did not pay heed to Congress’s letter and citing the law invited to BJP to form the government with 15 days in hand to prove the majority.

Yeddyurappa, whose earlier chief ministerial stints have mostly been controversial and short-lived. The current position can prove to be a defining one in his political career. A look back to the old days of unstable and highly volatile government in Karnataka is enough to raise doubts over Yeddyurappa’s term as a chief minister. In 2007, he ruled for seven days before BJP’s then coalition partner JD(S) withdrew support. In 2008, he again took over as the chief minister but lasted only 39 months before he was arrested on corruption charges.

From the monotonous existence as a government clerk and a hardware store owner to becoming the chief minister of Karnataka for the third time, BS Yeddyurappa has navigated the shifting waters of politics with an ease of a seasoned oarsman, defying tidal waves of hardships.

Yeddyurappa and his Chief Ministerial term lies in the hands of Supreme Court now, where Congress has filed a petition against the governor’s decision. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the governor’s invite to BJP to form the government. The court is to come out with its verdict on Friday. If the decision is in favour of Congress-JD(S) alliance, then Yeddyurappa for the third time will have an incomplete term and will be the only Chief Minister with such short-lived term.

If the decision does come in favour of BJP and Yeddyurappa keeps his post as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, then there are last few obstacles that he will have to overcome. Even before the polling, it was speculated that all is not well between BJP’s state leadership and central leadership. Yeddyurappa not sharing the stage with Modi during his rallies also sparked speculations. Yeddyurappa, on the last day of campaigning, while talking to media personnel openly invited PM Modi for his oath-taking ceremony on 17^th may. Having said this, neither PM Modi nor party president was present for the oath ceremony that was held this morning. This comes as a shock since Amit Shah, himself mentioned in a rally how important Karnataka elections are to BJP and how it’s their “doorway to the south.” Along with this, Yeddyurappa’s age plays a crucial part on his post. According to party policy, every BJP candidate has to be less than 75 years when they come to and completes their term. Since Yeddyurappa is 75 years currently, it will be very crucial to see how BJP top leaders plan to deal with this situation in hand. It was important for BJP to keep Yeddyurappa as the face of representation because of the stronghold and respect he has in the Lingayat community. To divert the vote towards them, it was important for BJP to have a face that represented the community.

The question that everyone is asking right now is will Yeddyurappa sail smoothly through his term or will he be hit by huge waves on his way?