BS Yediyurappa takes oath as Karnataka CM for fourth time, says he'll prove majority in Assembly on 29 July

Three days after the Congress-JD(S) government collapsed in Karnataka, BS Yediyurappa on Friday took oath as the chief minister of the state for the fourth time after staking claim earlier in the day.Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to 76-year old Yediyurappa at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan. No other cabinet ministers were sworn-in during the event.After the ceremony, Yediyurappa thanked his supporters and said he will prove majority on the floor of the House at 10 am on Monday (29 July), and ensure that the finance Bill is passed in the Assembly. He further said, "I have taken two prominent decisions in the Cabinet meeting. In addition to the Prime Minister Kisan Scheme, I will also provide two installments of Rs 2,000 to the beneficiaries." The Congress-JD(S) government fell on Tuesday with the defeat of the motion of confidence moved by then chief minister HD Kumaraswamy in the Assembly by 99-105 votes. In a sudden development on Friday morning, Yediyurappa met the governor to stake the claim and requested him to administer the oath of office and secrecy Friday itself, following which Vala invited him to form the government. The 76-year old was told to prove his majority in the Assembly by 31 July.Before the swearing-in, Yediyurappa said he would decide on members to be inducted into the ministry after consulting BJP national-president Amit Shah. He also visited the party's state headquarters in Bengaluru, where he addressed his fellow workers and thanked them for their continued support.Yediyurappa also gave directions suggesting all department secretaries to put on hold the orders given by HD Kumaraswamy in July, till they're looked into by chief secretary or department secretaries. Karnataka chief secretary TM Vijaybhaskar informed about the development in a letter to all department secretaries.Ahead of the swearing-in, BJP workers held celebrations in various parts of the state. Party workers danced to drumbeats, burst crackers and raised slogans hailing the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.A festive atmosphere prevailed at the BJP state headquarters in Malleswaram and near Yediyurappa's residence, where workers distributed sweets.Special prayers were offered to the village deity in Bookanakere, Yediyurappa's birth place in Mandya district, to ward off any hurdles in his latest term as chief minister, sources told PTI. Grand celebrations were also held in his native Shivamogga district.Yediyurappa's last stint as the chief minister was after the May 2018 Assembly election, but he managed to hold his position only for three days before submitting his resignation due to lack of numbers in the Assembly.Earlier in the day, apparently influenced by numerology, he reverted to the earlier English spelling of his name Yediyurappa from Yeddyurappa,He had changed the spelling of his name from Yediyurappa to Yeddyurappa after he had to resign as chief minister in 2007. He had to quit barely a week after becoming the chief minister as the then coalition partner JD(S) reneged on its promise to share power for 20 months each.With inputs from agencies