Political turbulence hit the administration hard in Karnataka

The pandemic and its domino effect made things hard for the common man

Amid tussles involving Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, the BJP high command, and the leader’s detractors, it was often the people of Karnataka who had to pay the price over the past two years. Administration took a back seat with no new flagship schemes or landmark projects taken up, while the COVID-19 pandemic that paralysed everything like never before made up a good part of the two-year period. Though the Ministers list a slew of schemes and policies, they do not match Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much-touted pre-poll promise of putting Karnataka on the fast pace of development. In fact, history repeated itself as the bickering between Mr. Yediyurappa and the party’s old-timers that marked his first stint as Chief Minister came back to haunt him; as did corruption charges.