Bengaluru
BS Yeddyurappa has taken oath as the 23rd Chief Minister of Karnataka, after the Supreme Court said it will not intervene in the decision of the governor to invite the BJP to form government.
In a midnight meeting on Wednesday night, the apex court decided that Yeddyurappa’s swearing-in ceremony will go ahead as planned, but it will hear the case again on Friday. A bench of Justices AK Sikri, SA Bobde and Ashok Bhushan also asked that the letter given by Yeddyurappa and senior BJP leaders to the governor, in which it was stated that the party has the requisite number of MLAs to form government, be produced before the court.
The court also refused to modify Governor Vajubhai Vala’s 15-day window to the BJP to prove its majority. If Yeddyurappa doesn’t manage to retain power beyond the window offered, it could be the second time that the Lingayat strongman is forced to step down after an all-too-brief stint as chief minister. Back in November 2007, Yeddyurappa enjoyed a seven-day tenure as chief minister.
But even that, incidentally, is not the shortest chief ministerial tenure in Independent India. Here’s a list of the shortest tenure in office.
