State BJP chief BS Yediyurappa took oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for the fourth time on Friday.
Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 76-year old Yediyurappa at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan.
"The Karnataka assembly session will be called on July 29, Monday at 10 am for moving confidence motion and for the passage of the finance bill," Yediyurappa said, soon after taking oath.
Speaking to reporters after holding cabinet meeting here, he said the legislative council would begin its proceedings on July 30.
Yediyurappa alone was sworn-in.
The Governor had asked Yediyurappa to prove majority on the floor by July 31.
Rebels have also reportedly assured complete support to BJP, according to a report.
Yediyurappa-led BJP ministry is assuming office three days after the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) government with the defeat of the motion of confidence moved by chief minister H D Kumaraswamy in the assembly by 99-105 votes.
In a sudden development on Friday morning, Yediyurappa met the Governor to stake the claim and requested him to administer the oath of office and secrecy Friday itself, following which Vala invited him to form the government.
"I submit that I am the Leader of BJP Legislature Party and also the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly. At present, the strength of the BJP MLA is 105 and the single largest party in the assembly... I may be invited to form alternate government today itself and I will take oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka at Raj Bhavan between 6 pm to 6:15 pm," Yediyurappa wrote in his letter to the Governor.
Before the swearing in, Yediyurappa said he would decide on members to be inducted into the ministry after consulting party president Amit Shah.
This is the fourth stint for Yediyurappa as the Chief Minister-- the last one was after the May 2018 Assembly polls, when he barely lasted three days after being sworn in.
Relations between political leaders touched a new low in Karnataka, with the Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) deciding to boycott the swearing-in ceremony.
The 76-year-old first took charge as the Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2007 but could hold on to the post for mere seven days as the JD(S) withdrew support and President's rule was imposed in the state. He again made way to the coveted post in 2008, but owing to corruption charges failed to complete a full term.
During his second term, he held the post from May 2008 to July 2011. He had to resign following accusations of corruption in illegal land deregulation notification scam.
Thereafter in 2012, he formed a new party "Karnataka Praja Paksha" but rejoined the BJP before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in which he got elected from Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency.
In 2018, the BJP veteran again jostled his way to the top post in the state but could not rule the state for more than a week as his party failed to garner a majority.
Right after the defeat of the Congress-JD(S) government in the trust vote in the Assembly on Tuesday, HD Kumaraswamy proceeded to the Raj Bhavan and submitted his resignation to the Governor.
Vala accepted Kumaraswamy's resignation and asked him to continue as the caretaker Chief Minister till the new government takes over.
The confidence motion moved by Kumaraswamy got 99 votes as against 105 of the opposition leading to its defeat.
This brought an end to the 12-day high-voltage political drama which had begun in the state with the resignation of over a dozen rebel MLAs to Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar.
The defeat marked the end of an uneasy coalition that was formed after the assembly polls on May 23, 2018, which returned a hung verdict after three main parties in the state- Congress, BJP and the JD (S) - fought each other in the polls.
There were differences between the coalition partners that often came to the surface but they carried on against the threat of BJP.
Sure that BJP will give stable, development-oriented government in Karnataka: Amit Shah
BJP president Amit Shah on Friday congratulated Yediyurappa after he took oath as Karnataka chief minister, and expressed confidence that the party will run a stable, pro-farmer and development-oriented government under him.
"Congrats to BS Yediyurappa, newly sworn-in CM of Karnataka. I am sure under his leadership and under the guidance of PM Modi, BJP will give a stable, pro-farmer and development-oriented govt in the state. I assure people of Karnataka that BJP is committed to fulfil their aspirations," Shah, also the Union Home Minister tweeted.
Nadda backs BSY
Dismissing the Opposition's claim that his party engineered defections to bring down the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka, BJP working president J P Nadda said on Saturday that it fell due to internal reasons and asserted that his party would provide a stable government in the state.
"They (Congress-JD-S) fell under their own weight due to internal reasons. The BJP is synonymous with stability. Wherever we go, we bring stability," Nadda told reporters at his maiden press conference where he also shared the Narendra Modi government's achievements in its first 50 days.
Asked about the fact that BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, who took oath as chief minister, is over the 75-year age bar the party has stipulated for its leaders holding any government position, he played it down.
Yediyurappa was the leader of the BJP legislature party in the state and it was natural for him to be the party's choice for the chief minister's post, he said.
"It depends," he said when quizzed about the party's age-bar and then added, "you see, first of all he is a leader, he is an elected leader of the legislature party. Accordingly, he is taking oath. It is a continuous process and the party takes note of ongoing developments from time to time."
As the leader of the opposition he is alright and the day he takes oath the question is asked about his age, he said, adding that it does not work like that.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)