Bangalore:
BS Yeddyurappa has not stepped out of his home since the results of the Karnataka elections were announced, remaining inaccessible to the media throughout the day. The fourth position on the result board was not something he was expecting.
"We will win with a clear majority," was Mr Yeddyurappa's prediction for his newly floated Karnataka Janata Party ahead of the elections. It, however, managed to win only a dozen out of the 205 seats it contested. Heavyweights, who had left the BJP with Mr Yeddyurappa, failed to pull their weight - Shobha Karandlaje, Renukacharya, Murugesh Nirani and Siddalingaswam all lost.
The only consolation for Mr Yeddyurappa was his own victory from the Shikaripura constituency with a huge margin of 23, 000 votes. Also a moral victory of sorts perhaps is the fact that he was able to hurt the BJP, which lost the state with wins in only 40 seats, by cutting its votes. As soon as leads indicated a comprehensive victory for the Congress, which eventually won 121 seats, BJP leaders began pointing fingers at Mr Yeddyurappa. "It's because of the split in BJP votes," was their standard response.
Mr Yeddyurappa, who became the first BJP Chief Minister of a southern state, quit the party last year after months of infighting. Hopeful of returning to power, he formed the KJP. When he turned 70 in February, confident of a resounding win, he had postponed the celebrations till after the election results. The party now seems cancelled.