Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and his party the BJP are looking to win another term
Karnataka is scheduled to go to polls in the coming months. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party in the 2018 Karnataka assembly election. It won 104 out of the total 225 seats.
However, the BJP's bid to form government was blocked by the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), who joined hands after the polls.
The BJP managed to come to power after the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) alliance in 2019. The party is now looking to retain its hold on the state and is likely to fight the election under Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Here are some facts about Mr Bommai:
- He took charge as Karnataka Chief Minister in July 2021. He succeeded BS Yediyurappa.
- Mr Bommai has been elected to the Karnataka assembly three times. He won from the Shiggaon assembly constituency in 2008 and retained the seat in 2013 and 2018.
- Mr Bommai belongs to the powerful Lingayat community. He is the son of SR Bommai, former Karnataka Chief Minister and Union Minister for Human Resource Development. Mr Bommai was associated with the Janata Dal (United) until he joined BJP ahead of the 2008 Karnataka assembly polls.
- Mr Bommai has held the portfolio of Water Resources, Home, Law, and Parliamentary Affairs. He served as the Parliamentary Secretary to former Karnataka Chief Minister JH Patel.
- Mr Bommai holds a degree in mechanical engineering and worked at Tata Motors in Pune for three years.