BJP names Yeddyurappa as Karnataka unit president

Former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who had lost his post after being accused of corruption, is back in a prominent role as the BJP’s Karnataka unit president.

The man credited with providing the BJP its first success in south India faced a tough tenure from 2008 onwards. He did not get along with the Bellary mining barons, the Reddy brothers, and later faced the heat due to an adverse Lokayukta report accusing him of corruption. He was forced to resign and left the party, forming the Karnataka Janata Paksha in 2012.

He was brought back to the BJP just before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, given his support base among the powerful Lingayats of the State.