Yeddyurappa to be sworn in as Chief Minister on Friday

The first full-fledged BJP Government in south India will be sworn in on Friday when BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa will take oath as the 26th Chief Minister of Karnataka.

After receiving a formal invitation from Governor Rameshwar Thakur to form the Government, Yeddyurappa told reporters that the swearing in ceremony will be held at 1.50 pm on Friday in front of the Vidhana Soudha.

The Governor invited Yeddyurappa to form the Government after receiving a communication from the Centre to revoke the federal rule that has been in force in the state since November 28, 2007. “The Central rule will be revoked ten minutes before the swearing in ceremony”, Yeddyurappa said.

Yeddyurappa said a host of national leaders of the BJP like L K Advani and Rajnath Singh, besides leaders of National Development Alliance (NDA) including former Federal Minister George Fernandes are expected to attend the swearing in ceremony.

The BJP, which bagged 110 seats in the Assembly, staked claim to form a Government after securing the support of five independents to cross the 113 mark in the 224-member House. The sixth independent MLA Varthur Prakash, who had earlier extended support to the Congress, too has now declared support to the BJP.

Along with Yeddyurappa, a total of 16 members belonging to both the Houses of the state legislature are expected to take oath as Ministers. At least three out of the six independents MLAs are expected to be given ministerial berths.

Meanwhile, Yeddyurappa held discussions with party’s national leaders including Arun Jaitley and M Venkaiah Naidu on the composition of the Ministry, whose strength has to be kept within the constitutional ceiling of 34 including the Chief Minister.

BJP is planning to give a ministerial berth to party leader Mumtaz Ali Khan in keeping with Yeddyurappa’s pre-poll promise of including a member from the minority community into his Cabinet. Though Mumtaz Ali Khan is not a member of either the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council, BJP leaders said the party would make Khan an MLC after including him in the Cabinet.