Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister-designate Basavaraj Somappa Bommai, a Yediyurappa loyalist, who has his origins in the Janata Parivar, will script history in being part of a father-son duo to have led the state on different occasions. Previously JDS Supremo H D Deve Gowda and his son Kumaraswamy have been CMs during different periods. Bommai's father SR Bommai was a Janata Parivar stalwart and had served as the 11th Chief Minister of Karnataka.
The 61-year-old leader was the Minister for Home Affairs, Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Legislature in Yediyurappa's council of ministers that was dissolved on Monday and was also the Minister in charge of Haveri and Udupi Districts. Born on January 28, 1960, in Hubballi, Basavaraj Bommai is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering. He worked in Tata Motors, Pune for three years and then became an industrial entrepreneur. His caste, educational qualification, administrative capacities and proximity to Yediyurappa and central leaders of the BJP is said to be the reasons for his choice for the post.
Bommai is from the dominant Veerashaiva-Lingayat community to which Yediyurappa also belongs. The community accounts for 16-17 per cent of the state's population and is counted as a key vote-base of the BJP. He started his political career with the Janata Dal, and was a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council, twice (in 1997 and 2003) from Dharwad local authorities constituency. He had also served as Political Secretary to Chief Minister J H Patel and as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the council.
