Early political career and local offices (1972–1988) In 1972, Yediyurappa was elected to the
Shikaripura Town Municipality and appointed president of the
Jana Sangh Taluk unit. He became president of the town
municipality in 1975 and was later imprisoned in
Ballari and
Shimoga during the Emergency. He served as president of the Shikaripura taluk unit of the BJP in 1980, the
Shimoga district unit in 1985, and the Karnataka state unit in 1988. First elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1983, he represented
Shikaripur for six terms. He served as
Leader of the Opposition following the 1994 elections and again in 2004. Between these terms, he was a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council from 2000 to 2004. ===
Coalition government with JD(S) (2006–2007) === During his first tenure in government, Yediyurappa supported
Janata Dal (Secular) leader
H. D. Kumaraswamy in bringing down the
coalition government led by
Dharam Singh and forming a new administration in partnership with the BJP. As part of the agreement between the JD(S) and BJP, it was decided that H. D. Kumaraswamy would serve as chief minister for the first 20 months, followed by Yediyurappa for the subsequent 20 months. In the Kumaraswamy-led government, Yediyurappa held the positions of Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister.
Breakdown of coalition and brief chief ministership (2007) In October 2007, when it was Yediyurappa's turn to become chief minister, Kumaraswamy refused to relinquish his post. As a result, Yediyurappa and ministers from his party resigned, and on 5 October, the BJP formally withdrew its support to the Kumaraswamy government. Karnataka came briefly under President's rule but eventually, Yediyurappa was sworn in as chief minister of Karnataka on 12 November 2007 after the JD(S) and BJP reached an agreement. Yediyurappa was sworn in as the 25th chief minister of Karnataka on 12 November 2007. However, JD(S) refused to support his government over disagreement on the sharing of ministries which resulted in his resignation as chief minister on 19 November 2007.
Assembly election and first full term as chief minister (2008–2011) In Karnataka's
2008 Assembly elections, Yediyurappa contested from
Shikaripura against former chief minister
S. Bangarappa of the
Samajwadi Party who was also backed by the
Indian National Congress and JD(S). However Yediyurappa won the seat and led the BJP to victory in the state, as
Karnataka became the gateway for the
BJP in south India. He took the oath of office as chief minister on 30 May 2008.
Lokayukta investigation and resignation (2011) On 30 July 2011, the
Karnataka Lokayukta submitted a report investigating illegal mining in the state, indicting Yediyurappa for illegally profiteering from land deals in
Bengaluru and
Shimoga, and also in connection with the illegal iron ore export scam in
Bellary,
Tumkur and
Chitradurga districts of Karnataka. Following pressure from the BJP central leadership, he announced his decision to quit, and formally resigned on 31 July 2011.
Ananth Kumar,
Shobha Karandlaje,
Jagadish Shettar and
S. Suresh Kumar were in the race to succeed him. He was replaced as chief minister by
Sadananda Gowda.
Formation of Karnataka Janata Paksha (2012–2013) He resigned his position as a
Member of Legislative Assembly and primary membership of the
Bharatiya Janata Party on 30 November 2012 and formally launched the
Karnataka Janata Paksha. Although the party and its name were registered in April 2011, Yediyurappa actually launched it in 2012. He was elected as an MLA from Shikaripura Constituency (
Shimoga district) in May 2013.
Return to BJP and parliamentary career (2014–2017) In November 2013, it was announced that he was considering an unconditional return to the BJP. On 2 January 2014 he announced a merger with BJP ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He won the
Shimoga seat of Karnataka in the
2014 Indian general election by a margin of 363,305 votes. In 2016, the BJP re-appointed him as the President of the Karnataka state
BJP unit. He was BJP's chief ministerial candidate in the
2018 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election. However, the party secured 104 seats, falling nine short of a simple majority. During the aftermath of the
2018 Karnataka Legislative assembly elections, Yediyurappa was invited to form the government and become the chief minister by the Governor citing that his party was the single largest in the house with 104 seats (nine short of a majority in the assembly). He was sworn in on 17 May 2018 by the Governor
Vajubhai Vala, becoming the chief minister of Karnataka for the third time. He was given 15 days to prove majority by the governor but the
Supreme Court intervened and cut it short to just 24 hours and ordered a
floor test (trust vote) soon after. The trust vote was to be held on 19 May 2018 at 4 pm. Before the trust vote was to begin, however, chief minister B. S Yediyurappa gave an emotional speech, following which he resigned citing that he would be unable to produce a majority. He thus became one of the shortest-serving chief ministers in India with just days in office.
Fourth term and political crisis (2019) Due to turmoil in the coalition government of JDS and Congress, 16 MLAS submitted their resignation to the government, turning it into a minority
2019 Karnataka resignation crisis. But out of 16, MLA
Ramalinga Reddy was convinced to join back the fold. After 18 days of ups and downs with rebel MLAs not withdrawing their demands and resignations, the coalition government had to step down due to defeat of trust vote on 23 July 2019 thereby paving way for the BJP and its leader Yediyurappa to stake claim for government formation. He was invited by Karnataka governor
Vajubhai Vala on 26 July to form the new government and took oath as the chief minister of the state for the fourth time. The by-polls for these 15 out of the 17 constituencies were conducted on 5 December 2019, where all the parties campaigned immensely. B. S. Yediyurappa promised the voters that each candidate would be awarded a ministry if the people voted for them. The results were declared on 9 December. BJP and its leader
Yediyurappa were victorious by winning 12 out of the 15 contested seats, thereby gaining a full majority, and a total of 117/224 assembly seats in the
2019 Karnataka Legislative Assembly by-elections.
Floods (2019) Soon after he took oath as the chief minister, the state was severely hit by floods due to heavy rainfall. During the
2019 Karnataka floods, Karnataka received nearly five times its normal rainfall, adding to the severity of the ongoing floods in 12 districts that had killed 20 people by 9 August 2019. Thousands of people were evacuated to safer places and relief camps even though hundreds were displaced. Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority,
Karnataka Police along with the
Indian Air Force, civilians, volunteers, fishermen from coastal Karnataka were actively taking part in the rescue operations in flood-affected regions. With the cabinet ministries yet to be formed, Yediyurappa alone as the chief minister visited the affected areas around the state. Yediyurappa announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh for the family members of those who died and lost houses in the floods. On 4 October 2019, the
Central Government had released an amount of 1200 Crores as Karnataka flood relief funds on the request of Yediyurappa.
Economic engagement and international outreach (2020) Early in 2020, Yediyurappa visited
Davos accompanying Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, and attended the annual meet of
World Economic Forum 2020. He, along with the Industries Minister of the state
Jagadish Shettar, attracted investments for the Global Investors' Meet to be held in November in the IT-hub of
Bangalore. Yediyurappa also led a delegation from Karnataka in the hope of attracting more investors to set up shop or expand their facilities in the state.
Legislation and policy initiatives (2020) In December 2020, the
Government of Karnataka, under his leadership passed the Anti Cow-Slaughter Bill 2020, with the aim to protect and nurture cattle in the state that were allegedly being slaughtered illegally. The legislation empowered the police to inspect and seize vehicles that transport cattle and the premises where they are slaughtered. The new law brought stern punishment of imprisonment of up to 3 years and a penalty of 50,000 rupees. Amid opposition from the
Congress members who staged a walk-out protest, the bill was passed unanimously in the floor of the house and the law came into effect in the state.
COVID-19 response (2020–2021) During the
COVID-19 pandemic, Karnataka became the first state to open a 10,000 bed COVID-19 hospital and care centre in Bangalore. After a cabinet meet concerning the pandemic, Yediyurappa announced that the Karnataka government would be providing 1 Lakh of aid to
BPL families who lost a working person in the first or second wave of the pandemic.
Interstate water dispute and Mekedatu project (2021) In July 2021, Yediyurappa assured the start of the
Mekedatu project across the river
Kaveri, upon the clearance of the objections in the judicial courts. Even though he wrote a letter to the
Tamil Nadu chief minister
M. K. Stalin mentioning the project and to further cooperate in its smooth movement, Stalin opposed the start of the project stating concerned issues of his state. Later, Yediyurappa still reassured that no odds can put a halt to the project, stating "Got Every Right To Start Dam Project Across River Cauvery". This led to further disputes between the two neighbouring states based on this issue and also led to mutual protests against each other. The chief minister primarily met the
Jal Shakti Abhiyan Minister
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and also flew to
New Delhi to meet
Narendra Modi and clarify the process of the Mekedatu dam project.
Social policy initiatives Under his tenure, Karnataka became the first state in India to provide reservations for
transgender communities in all government services. In the final notification issued on 6 July, the government decided to provide 1 per cent horizontal reservation to transgender candidates in government jobs and this is to be filled through direct recruitment under the (General Recruitment) Rule, 1977 to all sectors of social classes.
Leadership transition and resignation (2021) With speculations of leadership change in
BJP Karnataka for over several months, rumours spread that Yediyurappa would be removed, and a new chief minister would be appointed for the state. Major leaders of the BJP reiterated that the change in leadership will be witnessed soon in the state. This also led to various pro and con discussions among BJP. Various leaders, including leaders from opposition
Congress party extended their support widely to Yediyurappa, encouraging him and his leadership for the party. Central leader
Subramanian Swamy also opposed any decisions of changing the post of BSY. With the news widespread, various influential seers and monks belonging to the majority
Lingayat community and others swarmed in large numbers backing Yediyurappa, urging BJP to let BSY complete his term and warned about fierce protest if at all he was changed. Amid these doubts on 25 July the BJP national president
J. P. Nadda slashed out these notions by stating "No crisis in Karnataka, Yediyurappa has done good work". Later on 26 July 2021, he announced his resignation from the post of chief minister during his speech on the two-year anniversary of his government. He cited the 75-year age-limit rule in BJP. During the speech, he went through memories of his 45-year political career, thanked his party leaders and high command, and submitted his resignation that afternoon, to the
Governor of Karnataka. greets Yediyurappa on the occasion of his 80th birthday
Later career and retirement (2022–2023) A year later in July 2022, Yediyurappa announced retirement from electoral politics and stated that he would be vacating
Shikaripura Assembly constituency in the
2023 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election. He further insisted that his son
B. Y. Vijayendra would be contesting for the upcoming legislative elections from the same constituency in
Shimoga. In August 2022, Yediyurappa was elevated to the
Central Parliamentary board, of the BJP. He was one of the members of the 11 board committees, which included
J. P. Nadda,
Narendra Modi,
Amit Shah and other prominent members. Yediyurappa stated that he was humbled and would work hard to bring the party to power in the southern states of India. In February 2023, Yediyurappa made his farewell speech at the
Karnataka Legislative assembly as an
MLA and reiterated that he would not be contesting in the upcoming elections in 2023. Prime Minister Modi tweeted that it was "inspiring speech to him and every worker of the party". On 27 February 2023, Narendra Modi greeted and wished Yediyurappa his 80th birthday, heaped praise on his achievements, and also inaugurated the long-demanded
Shivamogga Airport in his presence. In April 2026, despite his retirement from electoral politics, Yediyurappa remained active in party advocacy, publicly supporting the
Women's Reservation Bill and criticizing the Karnataka state government's administration regarding utility tariffs. == Legal issues ==