By IANS,
Bangalore : A 30-member ministry headed by B.S. Yeddyurappa Friday took office in Karnataka, marking a historic moment for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as it gets its first government in southern India.
Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yeddyurappa, 65, took oath of office in Kannada in the name of god, watched by a galaxy of BJP leaders, chief ministers of National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled states as well as tens of thousands of cheering supporters.
Governor Rameshwar Thakur administered the oath to Yeddyurappa, a staunch Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist, and 29 others on the portals the majestic secretariat building in the heart of Bangalore.
The ministry includes one woman and a Muslim, Mumtaz Ali Khan, an educationist and vice president of the BJP in the state. He is not a legislator and will be elected to the legislative council.
In the ministry are 25 legislators from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and five of six independents, whose support helped the party to achieve a majority of 116 in the 225-member assembly.
In the staggered polls held this month, the BJP won 110 seats, three short of a majority. It eventually secured the support of all six independents to reach the figure of 116.
Mining magnates from iron-rich Bellary, G. Janardhana Reddy and his brother G. Karunakara Reddy, who played a major role in winning over the independents, are among the ministers.
The lone woman member is Shobha Karandlage, who was elected from Yashwantpur in Bangalore city.
All the ministers took oath of office and secrecy in Kannada.
The others sworn in are: K.S. Eshwarappa, V.S. Acharya, Govind Karajol, C.M. Udasi, Ramachandra Gowda, R. Ashok, S.K. Ravindranath, Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, Bachche Gowda, Basavraj Bommai, B. Sriramulu, Revu Naik, S. Suresh Kumar, Krishna Palemar, Venkataramanappa, Krishnaiah Shetty, Arvind Limbavali, Narendra Swami, H. Halappa, D. Sudhakar, Lakshman Savadi, Goolihatti Shekhar, Rudrappa Nirmani, Shivraj Thangadagi and S. K. Bellubbi.
BJP’s prime ministerial nominee L. K. Advani, party president Rajnath Singh, former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekawat, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) convenor George Fernandes and Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, were among the VIPs who witnessed the momentous event.