Yeddyurappa to vacate his Shikaripur MLA seat for son

KARNATAKA/SHIMOGA: Former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa did not have the faintest doubt about his winning the Shimoga seat in Karnataka. But when the final results were out, he could not believe the numbers: he had won with a margin of about 3.5 lakh votes. All along, the 71-year-old BJP strongman had believed he will win with a lead of about 1 lakh votes. But voters blessed him with much more.

The mood in Yeddyurappa’s hometown, Shikaripur, was one of jubilation. Elsewhere in Shimoga district, people received it with the usual poise as though they had expected the victory. Yeddyurappa himself was quite startled by the lead he has got, says a Shimoga resident.

“He is now trying to figure out who all could have voted for him,” he says. The BJP leader, who is fighting a few corruption-related court cases, secured 72% of the votes polled. Unsurprisingly, the Congress office in Shimoga was deserted.

“Yeddyurappa’s work in Shimoga district is quite evident. But more than that, he has been able to effectively communicate with his voters about what he has done for them,” says Arun, a Shimoga-based political analyst, and a long time watcher of Yeddyurappa’s political career. Yeddyurappa will now vacate his MLA seat from Shikaripur for his 41-year old son, by Raghavendra.