An open request to Shri B S Yeddyurappa

Shri B S Yeddyurappaji, Namaste

Let me give a brief background about myself -  I did BTech from IIT Madras, MS from Univ of Maryland, was there in US for about 7 years before returning to India in 2008 . I was in Chennai 2008-2012 and moved to Bengaluru in early 2012. So it has now been 6 years in Bengaluru 

I have been a keen follower of Indian politics from the time of Ayodhya movement - I have keenly watched every General election since (and including) 1989, when I was 10yrs old, and many state elections. If being Nationalist means being pro-BJP, then I will gladly accept that I am one. However, even after returning to India in 2008, I never voted in an election until the general election of 2014

By the two paragraphs above, it must be obvious that during the last Karnataka Assembly election of 2013, I was there in Bengaluru, but did not vote. If I were to vote, in the present political scenario, it would be for the BJP, but in 2013, I simply did not feel that the work done by the BJP govt for 2008-2013 merited it to be voted back to power. Let me in fact rewind to 2008 - if I remember it right, you had indeed created history by winning against Bangarappa who had the backing of both INC and JDS . You had for the first time helped BJP gain majority in a south Indian state. The expectations were high, but I regret to say that the general impression is that it was not lived up to

I admit that by the time I moved to Bengaluru in early 2012, you were no more the ChiefMinister. I also learn from some articles that many of the corruption charges against you eventually did not stand legal scrutiny .. I have not studied them in detail, but let me give you the benefit of doubt and stick to the dictum that "Not guilty until proven guilty". But the fact remains that you had not instilled confidence on two counts --> a) that you are above corruption and b) you will deliver on vikaas

Did I have that hope when I voted for NarendraModi in 2014 ? Yes, absolutely. Do I still have that confidence to vote for him again in 2019 ? Yes, double absolutely . In fact I am hoping to do a blog post on "It is not RITA (Rahul Is The Alternative) or TINA (There Is No Alternative) because of which one should vote for Narendra Modi, but MITR - Merit Is The Reason". As I said, I have analyzed politics in India for close to 30 years now, and I will pitch Modi govt as the best so far.

 It is the conviction that Modi is not just incorruptible himself, but will try to prevent it wherever he can, that makes me comfortable voting again in 2019. It is the perception that he has, is and will try his best for vikaas (by the way, I saw that first hand during a 7-day trip to NorthEast) that makes me put my weight behind him - the 50 things that couldn't be achieved doesn't matter to me as long as you tried , and as long as there are 50 other things that you actually achieved with your hard work. The problem with previous BJP Karnataka state govt was that it gave the impression that it did not even try - I could clearly experience that in the 15months or so I was in Bengaluru before the 2013 state elections. Excuses of what happened then are now irrelevant, except for "lessons learned"

My Kannada friends say you are the CM face (even if unofficial) of BJP this time. I wish you good luck, and I am willing to vote this time - given that the current Congress government has even been a greater disappointment and almost a disaster for the state of Karnataka and city of Bengaluru - but I hope you wont disappoint this time. Please be a true leader, in delivering on holistic development, in being connected to the people, and eventually also in nurturing new and young talent to take over

The next two months leading up to the elections, I will watch your and your party's promises and priorities keenly, contribute with ideas where I can, and if I feel confident, my vote is for you