In a please-all exercise aimed at putting a lid on bitter factionalism that even threatened the very existence of the BJP's first-ever government in the south, state party unit chief K S Eshwarappa and R Ashok were made deputy chief ministers.
56-year-old Shettar, propped by foe-turned-friend and party strongman in the state B S Yeddyurappa, took over the baton from D V Sadananda Gowda, who bowed out of office after the central leadership yielded to pressure from the rebel group.
Governor H R Bhardwaj administered oath of office and secrecy to Shettar, who assumed office as the third chief Minister of the BJP which came to power in 2008.
Gowda, whose shaky tenure ended in mere 11 months, had succeeded Yeddyurappa after the latter was forced to quit by the party leadership after lokayukta report on illegal mining indicted him last year.
BJP high command, which finalised the list of Ministers last night, has let Shettar retain 21 members of the Gowda Ministry and cleared the names of 11 others, facilitating a full-fledged ministry with the strength touching the Constitutional limit of 34 ministers for the state.
In an attempt to curb a possible rebellion and keeping in mind the assembly elections that are just ten months away, the BJP central leadership tried to accommodate aspirants from both Yeddyurappa and Gowda factions.
Caste divide between Lingayats to which Yeddyurappa and Shettar belong to and Vokkalaigas from which community Sadananda Gowda hails manifested in full form culminating in the leadership change.
Ashok belongs to the Vokaliga community and Eshwarappa the backward Kuruba caste. The BJP counts the Lingayats, the dominant community, as its vote base. Vokkaligas and Kurubas form the second and third largest groups respectively. MORE
