Wearing a green shawl and a white safari suit, BS Yeddyurappa took oath as Karnataka chief minister on Thursday in the name of God and farmers amid chants of "Modi, Modi" and sloganeering at the Raj Bhavan.
The venue was all decked up for the culmination of a dramatic turn of events that had unfolded since the fractured mandate on 15 May with the BJP emerging as the single largest party but falling short of majority.
As Governor Vajubhai Vala administered Yeddyurappa the oath of secrecy and office, the man of the moment chose to take oath in the name of God and the farmers of Karnataka.
The 75-year old Lingayat strongman, who became chief minister for a second time, was projected in the run-up to assembly election as 'Raitha Bandhu' – the friend of the farmers.
Before leaving for Raj Bhavan, Yeddyurappa paid his obeisance at the Radhakrishna temple in Bengaluru. He was accompanied by his sons BY Raghavendra and BY Vijayendra, senior party functionaries including Union ministers DV Sadananda Gowda and Prakash Javadekar and BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao.
Amid Vedic hymns and playing of musical instrument ‘Naadaswaram’, the special prayers were performed.
After the swearing in, Yeddyurappa drove to the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat, and bowed at the entrance steps before entering his office as the new chief minister of the state.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)