BJP legislature party leader B S Yeddyurappa on Thursday took oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. This is the third time that he was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.

The 75-year-old Lingayat strongman was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Vajubhai Vala at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan amid loud cheering by his supporters.

Yeddyurappa was administered the oath alone, hours after the Supreme Court refused to stay his swearing-in.

 

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court had refused to stay BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa’s swearing-in as Karnataka Chief Minister after a rare pre-dawn hearing which saw the Congress-JD (S) combine making a last-ditch attempt to stall the saffron party’s surge in the southern state.

The apex court, which commenced the hearing at 2.11 am and ended at 5.28 am, however made it clear that the swearing-in and the government formation in the State would be subject to the final outcome of the case before it.

A special Bench comprising Justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan directed the Centre to place before it two communications, sent by Yeddyurappa to Governor Vajubhai Vala, in which he had staked claim to form the government, saying their perusal was necessary to decide the case.

Yeddyurappa has 15 days to prove his majority in the Assembly. The BJP has 104 MLAs in the House, eight short of the magic figure of 112.

Amid intense jockeying for power, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala had on Wednesday invited BJP's B S Yeddyurappa to form the government in the State.

Karnataka had returned a hung Assembly on May 15 with the BJP winning in 104 seats, Congress 78 and the JD(S) 37, from the 222 constituencies that went to the polls. In a dramatic turn of events, the Congress offered support to the JD(S), which was duly accepted by party leader H.D. Kumaraswamy.

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