Trouble-shooter Gowda is low on administrative experience

D V Sadananda Gowda, the chief minister-designate of Karnataka, may have no administrative experience but he has a secret weapon in his armory, one that has helped him stave off many a crisis and heal fractured sentiments in the BJP — a disarming smile that rarely leaves his face.

Rarely seen in Karnataka politics since his exit as the state BJP president two years ago, Gowda virtually came out of cold storage to become B S Yeddyurappa’s nominee for the chief minister’s post when the latter found himself in need of a trustworthy proxy after his indictment in the Lokayukta report on illegal mining on July 27.

Like he had done on at least three other occasions when Yeddyurappa was reeling under internal rebellions, Gowda it seems rushed to the side of the man he has had a love-hate relationship with — offering his diplomatic and trouble-shooting services.