Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was uncharitably dubbed a "night watchman” by his detractors within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) when he replaced B S Yediyurappa on July 28 last year.
"Bommai is everybody's man and nobody's man," said a BJP insider on condition of anonymity, claiming that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Karnataka BJP did not want him until he allegedly ingratiated himself with a senior Sangh functionary through a relative of the latter. Indeed, Bommai's position was so shaky that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had to publicly endorse his appointment two months later in Davanagere and declare that under Bommai's leadership, the BJP would win the next elections in Karnataka.
Unlike Yediyurappa, who held his own against the BJP's central command through his tumultuous innings, Bommai is critically dependent on New Delhi to keep his job. After three serial setbacks, on December 29 the Karnataka BJP's executive committee rallied behind Bommai following a two-day meeting at Hubbali and warned against "needless" speculation over leadership change.
The chief minister faced his first reverse after the BJP lost a by-poll in Hangal in north Karnataka, close to Shiggaon, his Assembly constituency. Bommai invested everything in this fight; he camped in Hangal for over a week and mobilised half his Cabinet to do likewise. The second upset was caused by the BJP's inability to secure a majority in the Legislative Council elections. Finally, the Congress outstripped the BJP in December's urban local body polls, capping a string of misfortunes for Bommai.
This story is from the January 10, 2022 edition of Business Standard.
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This story is from the January 10, 2022 edition of Business Standard.
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