'32 Years Later...': Basavaraj Bommai To Be New Karnataka Chief Minister

Basavaraj Bommai is a Lingayat and an MLA from Haveri district in central Karnataka.

Basavaraj Bommai may have joined the BJP way back in 2008, but his family's political history came a full circle only today after his name was announced as the next Karnataka Chief Minister. His father, SR Bommai, occupied the position for a brief period in the 1980s, making a whole lot of difference to India politics. He succeeds the 78-year-old BS Yediyurappa who announced his resignation on Monday after weeks of speculation. The BJP veteran is considered the tallest leader alive today of Karnataka's Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, which constitutes 16 per cent of the state's 68 million population. His departure was risky business for the BJP since the party has had strong backing from this segment for long. While it can't be anyone's claim that zeroing-in on Mr Bommai as replacement was easy, the choice may be easily justified.