Bengaluru: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday, took oath as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka. He replaces BS Yediyurappa as the 20th Chief Minister of the state.
The oath taking ceremony was held at 11 AM on July 28 at Raj Bhawan in Bengaluru.
Basavaraj Bommai was appointed for the top post during a Legislature Party meet in Bengaluru chaired by the central leadership on Tuesday, in presence of outgoing CM B.S. Yeddyurappa. Karnataka BJP observer and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced Basavaraj S. Bommai to be the next Chief Minister.
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Born on 28 January 1960 in Hubballi, Basavaraj comes from the Sadar Lingayat community. He started his political journey with Janata Dal and was a member of Karnataka Legislative Council twice (1997 and 2003). He was also the Political Secretary to Chief Minister JH Patel and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Council.
Bommai left the Janata Dal (United) and joined the BJP in February 2008 and was elected MLA from Shiggaon constituency in Haveri district in the assembly elections held in the same year. After this, he was elected from this seat in the 2013 and 2018 assembly elections as well.
Basavaraj's caste, educational qualification, administrative abilities and closeness to Yeddyurappa and BJP central leaders are being cited as the main reasons for his selection for the post.