Basavaraj Somappa Bommai was on Tuesday chosen as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka, succeeding B.S. Yediyurappa.
A strong Lingayat leader from north Karnataka, he was elected to the post at the legislature party meeting held at a private hotel, and chaired by Central observers, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and G. Kishan Reddy.
Yediyurappa proposed Bommai’s name and it was agreed upon by the BJP legislators. Bommai will be sworn in as the 30th Chief Minister at the Raj Bhavan at 3.20 pm on Wednesday.
Born on January 28, 1960, Bommai held the portfolio of Home, Law, and Parliamentary Affairs in the Yediyurapa government. He has also served as Water Resources and Cooperation Minister. Bommai’s decision to stay with the party when Yediyurappa left and launched his KJP and his ability to gain Yediyurappa’s confidence after his return to the BJP are said to have worked for him.
The son of former Karnataka Chief Minister and Janata Dal leader S.R. Bommai, he had joined the BJP from the Janata Parivar in 2008, and though being a blue-eyed boy of Yediyurappa, his ability to defend the party is appreciated by all.
A graduate in Mechanical Engineering and agriculturist and industrialist by profession, he started his political career with the Janata Parivar. He was elected a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council in 1998 and 2004 from Dharwad local authorities’ constituency.
After joining the BJP in February 2008, when Yediyurappa became the Chief Minister, he was elected to the Assembly from Shiggaon constituency in Haveri district.
Widely acclaimed for his knowledge of irrigation matters in the state and contributions to innumerable irrigation schemes, he is also credited with implementing India’s first 100 per cent piped irrigation project at Shiggaon in Haveri.