On 28th July, B.S. Yediyurappa handed over the Chief Minister’s chair to Basavaraj Somappa Bommai or BS Bommai. With this, Bommai became the 23rd Chief Minister of Karnataka.
Basavaraj Bommai comes from a political family with his father, S.R. Bommai having served as Chief Minister of Karnataka from August 1988 to April, 1989. Read on to know more about Basavaraj Bommai.
Basavaraj Bommai’s Life Before Politics
Basavaraj Bommai was born on January 28th, 1960 in Hubli. He graduated as a Mechanical Engineer from B.V. Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology. He worked with Tata Motors in Pune for a few years before taking the plunge into politics.
Political Career
Bommai’s has his roots with the Janata Dal where he served as the General Secretary from 1995 to 1996. He is also a Lingayat community leader. In 1998, Bommai won a seat in the Karnataka Legislative Counci by contesting from Dharwad. He would win this seat again in 2004.
In 2008, Basavaraj Bommai left the Janata Dal and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly after winning the election from the Shiggaon constituency in Haveri district. From 2008 to 2013, Bommai served as the Minister for Water Resources under three different Chief Ministers.
Later, when B. S. Yediyurappa formed his fourth Council of Ministers in July 2019, Bommai took on key ministerial portfolios including the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Minister for Cooperation and Minister in charge of the Haveri and Udupi districts.
Basavaraj Bommai, the Chief Minister
Bommai was elected as Karnataka’s Chief Minister on July 27th, 2021, and sworn in on the next day. He will be the state’s Chief Minister till the next assembly elections in 2023. His immediate challenge is managing the COVID-19 vaccination program and controlling the pandemic. Bommai’s success will also be measured in how he manages the state’s resources at a time where they have been hit badly by the pandemic.