Bangalore:
BS Yeddyurappa has achieved part of his agenda in these elections. He has ensured a BJP defeat. What he has not done is convert the BJP's losses into gains for his newly-formed Karnataka Janata Party (KJP).
As early trends in the Karnataka elections rolled in on Wednesday morning, Mr Yeddyurappa would be among the more disappointed people in Bangalore. His KJP was not expected to turn in a brilliant performance, but he would have hoped for a better performance than the very poor fourth that he is currently on. (
Read: Highlights of the Karnataka election results)
The BJP, which according to early leads slipped to third position behind the Congress and JD(S), has attributed the dismal performance to the Yeddyurappa factor. "This accidental fluke victory of the Congress is because of the split in BJP votes," said BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad.
For Mr Yeddyurappa, today is career-defining. The number of seats his KJP bags will determine his political clout and future in the state's politics.
In Karnataka, the BJP was for years associated with Mr Yeddyurappa, the man who led it to form its first ever government in south India. He dominated the scene and defied his party leadership with impunity when he was asked to step down on corruption charges after the state Lokayukta charged him with profiteering from illegal mining in the state. Mr Yeddyurappa eventually quit as Chief Minister in July 2011.
He was arrested later that year and spent close to three weeks in jail. Upon his release, he sought to be re-instated as Chief Minister, but the BJP leadership did not oblige. Nor did it give him a prominent post in the party's state outfit. Mr Yeddyurappa finally quit his party of 40 years in November 2012 and took along with him his staunchest supporters and formed the KJP in December.
He had then claimed that his party would win the Assembly elections but his bravado was perhaps premature. In the urban local body elections held in March, the KJP flopped. Mr Yeddyurappa failed to demonstrate influence anywhere save in Gulbarga, where his party won seven wards. The Congress was the big winner then, winning the majority of seats.
Ever the political pragmatist, Mr Yeddyurappa had started reaching out to other players in Karnataka even as he was exiting the BJP. He paid the Congress several compliments, perhaps seeking to open new doors as one shut behind him.