Yeddyurappa resigns at last, amid high drama

Bangalore: Karnataka's chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa finally resigned on a gloomy and cloudy Sunday amid high drama after keeping everybody guessing as he delayed his appointment with state governor H.R. Bhardwaj by over an hour.

The 68-year-old submitted his one-line resignation letter to Bhardwaj at Raj Bhavan, three days after the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) parliamentary board directed him to quit in the light of his indictment in the multi-crore mining scam by state Lokayukata (ombudsman) Justice (retd) N. Santosh Hegde.

Yeddyurappa assumed office May 30, 2008, after his party was elected to power in the mid-term poll held in April 2008, and remained the chief minister for 38 months filled with controversies.

Though a sulking Yeddyurappa was to meet Bhardwaj between 2.30 and 3 p.m., he reached Raj Bhavan around 4 p.m. - walking about a km from his official residence on the Race Course Road with hundreds of supporters, including his loyal ministers and party legislators.

"I am going to Raj Bhavan on foot (padayatra) to submit my resignation just as I launched the party's election campaign in April 2008 when I toured across the state on foot," he told reporters as he walked along with his supporters.

Yeddyurappa also declared that the party's Lok Sabha member from Udupi-Chickmaglur, D.V. Sadananda Gowda, was his choice to replace him as chief minister.

"I have recommended Sadananda Gowda's name as my successor. It is for the high command to decide," he said.

According to a party source, Yeddyurappa wanted the party high command to first announce the name of his successor before going driving up to Raj Bhavan for submitting the resignation.

After much persuasion, the BJP leader relented and agreed to go before 4.30 p.m. when the 90-minute inauspicious time (rahu kalam) according to the Hindu almanac was to begin.
 

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