✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › B. S. Yediyurappa

B. S. Yediyurappa biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

B. S. Yediyurappa Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 4, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth27 February 1943

Age82 Years

BirthplaceBookanakere, Kingdom of Mysore (now Karnataka), British India

ProfessionPolitician

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseMythra Devi

FamilyTwo sons and three daughters

B. S. Yediyurappa Biography

Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yediyurappa is an Indian politician from Karnataka who has served multiple terms as Chief Minister and held long-standing roles в

Early life and background

Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yediyurappa was born on 27 February 1943 in Bookanakere, then part of the Kingdom of Mysore (now in Karnataka). He grew up in a Lingayat family; his father was Siddalingappa and his mother was Puttathayamma. Yediyurappa lost his mother when he was four. He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree and attended PES College in Mandya and Bangalore University. Early in his working life he held clerical positions, including as a first-division clerk in the social welfare department and later in a rice mill in Shikaripura. He married Mythra Devi in 1967.

Career

Yediyurappa’s political life began at the local level in the 1970s. He served in municipal roles in Shikaripura and rose through the ranks of the Jana Sangh and later the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). By the mid-1980s and late 1980s he was leading BJP units at the taluk and district levels and went on to serve as president of the Karnataka BJP.

Across several decades he was elected to multiple terms in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. He served as leader of the opposition twice and first became Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2008, the first BJP leader to hold that office in a South Indian state. His first tenure as Chief Minister ran from 30 May 2008 to 31 July 2011.

In 2012 he left the BJP and founded the Karnataka Janata Paksha, later merging that party back into the BJP in early 2014. He continued to play a prominent role in state politics, serving as president of the Karnataka BJP in 2016. In 2018 he was sworn in as Chief Minister but resigned two days later after losing a trust vote. He returned to the post on 26 July 2019 and served until he announced his resignation on 26 July 2021.

Public profile

Yediyurappa has been a long-standing and high-profile figure in Karnataka politics. He is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh from his college years and is known for his grassroots connections in his home constituency of Shikaripura. His political journey has included both electoral victories and setbacks: he lost elections at points in his career, has faced corruption allegations that led to his resignation in 2011, and has also been arrested and detained in connection with legal matters.

He has been recognised with awards, including an India Today honour in 2009 in the Law and Order category. Outside politics he has run a hardware business earlier in life and is known to enjoy cricket, frequently playing with residents of Shikaripura.

Personal life and family

Yediyurappa and his wife Mythra Devi had five children: two sons, BY Raghavendra and BY Vijyaendra, and three daughters, SY Umadevi, B Y Arunadevi and BY Padmavati. He maintains residence in Shikaripura and is identified with vegetarian dietary habits and Hindu faith. Physical descriptors recorded in public profiles list his height at approximately 5'7" (170 cm) with black eyes and white hair.

Controversies and legal matters

Over the years Yediyurappa’s career has been accompanied by controversies that have attracted media and legal attention. Reports in the public domain note accusations and inquiries at various times, including allegations linked to the death of his wife in 2004, the receipt of a high-value gift, and political maneuvers involving resignations and party changes. In 2011 he resigned as Chief Minister amid corruption charges and was arrested and jailed for a period.

In 2024 a case was reported against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act arising from an allegation dated February 2024; subsequent developments in May and June 2024 included the complainant's death, a non-bailable arrest warrant issued in June, and a stay on arrest by the Karnataka High Court. These matters were in the public domain and subject to ongoing legal procedures at the time of the reports.

Latest updates

Yediyurappa’s most recent major political milestones included his appointment as Karnataka BJP president in 2016, a brief two-day chief ministership in May 2018, his return to the chief ministership on 26 July 2019, and the announcement of his resignation from that post on 26 July 2021. As of the information provided, he was 82 years old and continued to be an influential figure in Karnataka politics.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about B. S. Yediyurappa, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded
◈

Recent Work

Chief Minister of Karnataka

Served multiple terms as Chief Minister, including 30 May 2008 to 31 July 2011; sworn in briefly in May 2018; took oath on 26 July 2019 and resigned on 26 July 2021.

2008-2021
✦

Career Highlights

  1. First BJP leader to become Chief Minister of a South Indian state (Karnataka) in 2008
  2. Served as Karnataka BJP president
  3. Multiple-term member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and two-time leader of the opposition
?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was B. S. Yediyurappa born?

27 February 1943

What is B. S. Yediyurappa known for?

Politician

What is B. S. Yediyurappa’s marital status?

Married

Who is B. S. Yediyurappa married to?

Mythra Devi