B S Yediyurappa ended his fourth stint as Chief Minister of Karnataka on Monday after he submitted his resignation to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Monday. The 78-year-old, while doing so, dismissed rumours that he was pressurised by the BJP high command to exit the CM's office.
Yediyurappa is the third chief minister across India who had to step down midway through their tenure this year — after the BJP in Uttarakhand replaced Trivendra Singh Rawat with Tirath Singh Rawat in March, and then Tirath with Pushkar Singh Dhami in July.
As for Karnataka, many in the state would know that this is not the first time that a CM has had to vacate their position without completing a full five-year term. D Devaraj Urs was the first who had to exit in the middle of his term in 1980 after a fall-out with Indira Gandhi that saw him expelled from her Congress (I) party. Urs was replaced by R Gundu Rao.
A series of corruption allegations, first in 1985, and then in 1988, saw the erstwhile Janata Party's Ramakrishna Hegde's term as CM cut short. Hegde was the first non-Congress Chief Minister of Karnataka. S R Bommai, the father of present Karnataka Law Minister Basavaraj Bommai filled in for the remainder of his term.
Later, in 1990, Veerendra Patil, just as he was about to complete a year as CM, was asked to vacate office. Patil was replaced by S Bangarappa, who was also asked to step down midway. Veerappa Moily saw out the rest of the term.
Deve Gowda, who was nominated the Chief Minister of Karnataka after his party won the 1994 polls, too, did not complete a full term at the state's helm. The veteran, however, was later nominated as the leader of the ruling coalition at the Centre and made the Prime Minister in 1996.
Lastly, Sadananda Gowda, who was picked to succeed Yediyurappa after his resignation in 2011, was made to resign a year later with Jagadish Shettar being handed the CM's post.