Senior BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai took oath as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka at the swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Karnataka Governor, in Bengaluru on July 28, Wednesday morning. Basavaraj Bommai staked a claim to form the government late on Tuesday night after he was chosen as the leader of the BJP Legislature Party in a meeting held in Bengaluru. His elevation ended days of wild speculation linking various BJP leaders to the post of Karnataka Chief Minister.
Former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa resigned from his post on Monday, exactly two years after he took charge in 2019. The appointment of Basavaraj Bommai is considered a safe choice by the BJP as he belongs to the Lingayat caste, the same caste as BS Yediyurappa, and is also close to the former Chief Minister. The BJP high command was considering a number of options for the post of Chief Minister but the party narrowed it down to Bommai on Tuesday.
Arvind Bellad, another leader from north Karnataka’s Dharwad district, was in the frame but the party eventually decided to go with Basavaraj Bommai. he central observers Dharmendra Pradhan and G. Kishan Reddy were sent by the union leaders to carry out the selection of the legislative party leader.
Basavaraj Bommai is the 23rd Chief Minister of Karnataka. He hails from Shiggaon in Haveri district (formerly part of Dharwad district) and he is the son of former Karnataka Chief Minister SR Bommai. A graduate in mechanical engineering, he started his political career with the Janata Dal and only joined the BJP in 2008.
This is the second time in Karnataka’s history that a father-son duo have both become Chief Ministers after HD Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy. Basavaraj Bommai is set to address reporters in Bengaluru on Wednesday afternoon following the oath-taking ceremony.