Name: B.S. Yediyurappa
Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yediyurappa often referred by his initials BSY is currently serving as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party Parliamentary Board committee since August 2022, termed as the highest office of authority in the party. He served as the 13th Chief Minister of Karnataka, and he was a former Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly between 1983 and 2022 in different timelines. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janatiya Party. He is also the only politician in Karnataka to have served four times as the Chief Minister and three times as the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. He is the longest-serving BJP Chief Minister of Karnataka. He is a former MLA from the Shikaripura constituency in Shimoga district, where he has been elected six times.
Yediyurappa's political journey began in the 1970s when he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and later the Jana Sangh, the precursor to the BJP. During the infamous Emergency from 1975-77, he was jailed for his association with these organizations. He became the Shikaripura president in 1980, followed by the Shivamogga district president in 1985. In 1988, he ascended to state BJP president of Karnataka, solidifying his position as a prominent figure within the party. Yediyurappa's legislative career began in 1983 when he won his first election to the Karnataka assembly. Since then, he has represented the same constituency seven times. Yediyurappa's political career has not been without its share of controversies. In 2011, he faced allegations of corruption in mining-related cases and land deals, leading to his resignation as Chief Minister. However, he bounced back, experimenting with a new party, the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP), before returning to the BJP fold in 2014. By 2016, he had been acquitted in every single case.
In 2019, Yediyurappa was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for the fourth time. During his current tenure, he has focused on various development initiatives, including the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme, infrastructure projects, and measures to boost the state's agricultural sector.