Bangalore (PTI): In the third leadership change in four years of BJP rule hit by intra-party feud, Jagadish Shivappa Shettar was today sworn in at the head of a 34-member ministry with two deputy chief ministers for the first time in Karnataka's history.

In a please-all exercise aimed at putting a lid on bitter factionalism that even threatened the very existence of the BJP's first-ever government in the south, state party unit chief K S Eshwarappa and R Ashok were made deputy chief ministers.

56-year-old Shettar, propped by foe-turned-friend and party strongman in the state B S Yeddyurappa, took over the baton from D V Sadananda Gowda, who bowed out of office after the central leadership yielded to pressure from the rebel group.

Governor H R Bhardwaj administered oath of office and secrecy to Shettar, who assumed office as the third chief Minister of the BJP which came to power in 2008.

Gowda, whose shaky tenure ended in mere 11 months, had succeeded Yeddyurappa after the latter was forced to quit by the party leadership after lokayukta report on illegal mining indicted him last year.

BJP high command, which finalised the list of Ministers last night, has let Shettar retain 21 members of the Gowda Ministry and cleared the names of 11 others, facilitating a full-fledged ministry with the strength touching the Constitutional limit of 34 ministers for the state.

In an attempt to curb a possible rebellion and keeping in mind the assembly elections that are just ten months away, the BJP central leadership tried to accommodate aspirants from both Yeddyurappa and Gowda factions.

Caste divide between Lingayats to which Yeddyurappa and Shettar belong to and Vokkalaigas from which community Sadananda Gowda hails manifested in full form culminating in the leadership change.

Ashok belongs to the Vokaliga community and Eshwarappa the backward Kuruba caste. The BJP counts the Lingayats, the dominant community, as its vote base. Vokkaligas and Kurubas form the second and third largest groups respectively.

"We will try to give an honest, transparent and corruption-free government," Shettar told reporters reflecting the task cut out for him to refurbish the image of BJP dented by corruption charges against several of its leaders who are battling court cases.

Shettar, who hails from backward North Karnataka region, also said his government would give top priority to tackling the severe drought faced in many districts and rural areas and step-up relief works.

"We will take every body into confidence and our objective is to give good governance by working together," said Shettar, flanked by Eshwarappa and Ashoka, after the customary cabinet meeting.

The BJP has not entertained the claim by G Karunakara Reddy, the brother of jailed mining baron G Janardhana Reddy, who had aspired to return to the ministry, but has given representation to Bellary district by inducting Anand Singh.

There is no representation to minority community in the ministry as BJP has no elected representative from this section.

Yeddyurappa, Sadananda Gowda, BJP National General Secretary H N Anantkumar were present at the swearing-in.

Thousands of followers of Shettar watched the swearing in ceremony on big television screens erected at the Palace Grounds.

Others who took oath are Govind M Karjol, S Suresh Kumar, C M Udasi, Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri, Umesh V Katti, Basavaraja Bommai, Murugesh R Nirani, V Somanna, Shobha Karandlaje, B N Bache Gowda, M P Renukacharya, C P Yogeeshwara, S A Ravindranatha, Revu Naik Belamagi, Balachandra Jarkiholi, S A Ramadass, Anand Asnotikar, A Narayanaswamy, Raju Gowda alias Narasimha Nayak and Varthur Prakash.

Sogadu Shivanna, C T Ravi, D N Jeevaraja, S K Bellubbi, Aravind Limbavali, B J Puttaswamy, Anand Singh, Kalakappa Gurushantappa Bandi, Sunil Vallyapure, Kota Srinivasa Poojari and Appachu Ranjan were the others sworn-in.

Bangalore: Shettar sworn in as Karnataka chief minister

Bangalore, July 12 (IANS) Jagadish Shettar was Thursday sworn in as Karnataka chief minister, becoming the third Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader to head the party government in four years.

Governor H.R. Bhardwaj administered the oath of office and secrecy to Shettar at a simple ceremony in the glass house of Raj Bhavan in city centre.

Shettar, 56, took over from D.V. Sadananda Gowda, who was forced out of office without completing a year following months of dissidence orchestrated by the BJP's first chief minister in southern India, B.S. Yeddyurappa. Yeddyurappa was shown the door by the party last July over mining bribery charges.

Karnataka's new chief minister hails from a family with close association to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP's predecessor Jan Sangh.

Shettar is a four-time legislator representing Hubli rural constituency in Dharwad district, about 400 km north of Bangalore.

BJP gives Karnataka third chief minister in four years :

Bangalore, July 12 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka, hit by dissidence and corruption, Thursday scored another first with Jagadish Shettar becoming the party's third chief minister in four years and the state getting two deputy chief ministers.

The deputy chief ministers are K.S. Eshwarappa, who is the state BJP chief, and R. Ashoka, who was home minister in the outgoing ministry headed by D.V. Sadananda Gowda.

Shettar and 30 members of his ministry, including the two deputy chief ministers, were administered the oath of office and secrecy at a simple ceremony by Governor H.R. Bhardwaj at the glass house in Raj Bhavan in the city centre.

Shettar succeeds Gowda, who quit Wednesday. Gowda became the chief minister August 4 last year after the BJP's first chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa was forced out of office over mining bribery charges.

Gowda fell victim to the dissidence that had hit the party almost from the beginning of its maiden rule in the state in May 2008.

After 56-year-old Shettar, Eshwarappa and Ashoka took oath separately. Other ministers were sworn-in in batches of six.

All 21 members of the Gowda ministry have been retained.

The ministers who took oath Thursday are: Govind Karjola, C.M. Udasi, Basavaraj Bommai, Vishwanath Hegde Kageri, S. Suresh Kumar, Umesh Katti, Murugesh Nirani, V. Somanna, Shobha Karandlaje, M.P. Renukacharya, C.P. Yogeshwar, B.N. Bachche Gowda, Revu Naik Belamagi, Balachandra Jarkiholi, Anand Asnotikar, S.A. Ramdas, A. Narayanswamy, S. Ravindra Nath, C.T. Ravi, D.N. Jeevraj, Raju Gowda, S.K. Bellubbi, S. Shivanna, Varthur Prakash, Arvind Limbavali, Anand Singh, B.J. Puttaswamy, Appachu Ranjan, Kalakappa Bandi, Sunil Vallyapur, and Kota Srinivas Pujari.

Shettar is Karnataka CM, promises graft-free regime:

Bangalore, July 12 (IANS) Jagadish Shettar Thursday took oath as the Karnataka chief minister, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) third man in the post in four years, and promised a corruption-free, transparent and honest administration.

Also sworn-in were two deputy chief ministers - K.S. Eshwarappa and R. Ashoka - and 31 ministers, completing the ministry formation in one go to satisfy various factions in the party.

The state can have a 34-member ministry, including the chief minister, as the law limits the strength to 15 percent of the elected members of the assembly. The Karnataka assembly strength is 225, of which one is a nominated member to represent the Anglo-Indian community.

However, the BJP's plans still left many disgruntled with at least one legislator - Haladi Srinivas Shetty from the coastal area of Kundapur - breaking down at being denied a berth and his supporters shouting slogans against party leadership.

Trying to placate caste groups, the BJP, which came to power in the state for the first time in May 2008, has given Karnataka two deputy chief ministers for the first time.

The BJP's caste balancing act at the top level of government has already earned its new setup a nickname - LKG regime - L standing for Lingayat, K for Kuruba (shepherd community) and G for Gowda (Vokkaliga community).

Shettar is a Lingayat, Eshwarappa belongs to Kuruba community and Ashoka to Vokkaliga caste.

Shettar and members of his ministry were administered oath of office and secrecy by Governor H.R. Bhardwaj at a simple ceremony at glass house in Raj Bhavan premises.

Addressing a press meet after the first cabinet meeting, Shettar said his first priority will be to tackle drought, particularly to provide drinking water, that has hit more than half the state.

He appealed for cooperation from his ministers, party legislators and opposition parties in running the administration.

"I will strive to take all together and provide a clean, corruption-free, honest and effective governance," Shettar said.

The new chief minister's stress on corruption-free administration comes against the backdrop of various scandals that rocked the BJP's first ministry headed by B.S. Yeddyurappa. He was forced to quit last July over mining charges.

Besdies Yeddyurappa, around 20 of 120 BJP legislators, including several ministers, are fighting cases of corruption and illegal land deals against them.

Shettar himself was Wednesday slapped with a complaint in Lokayukta (ombudsman) court alleging that he had violated rules to free 176 acres of government land on Bangalore's outskirts when he was revenue minister six years ago in the Janata Dal-Secular and BJP coalition government.

The complaint claims this caused a loss of over Rs.250 crore to the state exchequer at current market prices of the land. It does not, however, charge Shettar with gaining monetarily or otherwise from this act.

Lokayukta court judge N.K. Sudhindra Rao said he will decide July 21 whether the allegation in the complaint needs a probe.

Shettar denied any wrongdoing and said he will legally fight the case. Shettar succeeds Gowda, who quit Wednesday. Gowda became the chief minister Aug 4 last year after Yeddyurappa resigned July 31.

Gowda fell victim to the dissidence that had hit the party almost from the beginning of its maiden rule in the state in May 2008.

The ministers who took oath Thursday are: Govind Karjola, C.M. Udasi, Basavaraj Bommai, Vishwanath Hegde Kageri, S. Suresh Kumar, Umesh Katti, Murugesh Nirani, V. Somanna, Shobha Karandlaje, M.P. Renukacharya, C.P. Yogeshwar, B.N. Bachche Gowda, Revu Naik Belamagi, Balachandra Jarkiholi, Anand Asnotikar, S.A. Ramdas, A. Narayanswamy, S. A. Ravindra Nath, C.T. Ravi, D.N. Jeevraj, Raju Gowda, S.K. Bellubbi, S. Shivanna, Varthur Prakash, Arvind Limbavali, Anand Singh, B.J. Puttaswamy, Appachu Ranjan, Kalakappa Bandi, Sunil Vallyapur, and Kota Srinivas Pujari.

Shobha Karandlaje remains the lone woman member in the ministry while Varthur Prakash is an independent supporting the BJP.