En route to the Karnataka Assembly to face a second trust vote on October 14, chief minister BS Yeddyurappa found time to help a 10-year-old boy pay for his studies.
And some members in the BJP believe it was this benevolent act that helped the CM prove his majority in the assembly. Vishwanath, a class 5 student, wanted to meet Yeddyurappa when he visited the Gali Anjaneya temple here hours before the second trust vote.
But he was pushed away by the chief minister's securitymen. The boy sat crying at the entrance to the temple when Yeddyurappa saw him and decided to take him inside. He also performed puja with the boy beside him.
Despite being in a hurry, the chief minister spent time with the boy and consoled him.
Vishwanath, who lives in a slum on Bangalore's Mysore Road with his labourer-parents and four siblings, narrated his tale of poverty and how it stopped him from studying further.
He had migrated from Gulbarga, 400 km north of Bangalore and wanted to study but had to do odd jobs such as distributing pamphlets for politicians to support his family.
{{/usCountry}}He had migrated from Gulbarga, 400 km north of Bangalore and wanted to study but had to do odd jobs such as distributing pamphlets for politicians to support his family.
{{/usCountry}}The chief minister decided to help Vishwanath and deposited Rs 100,000 in a bank for his studies before leaving for the floor test, in which he got a majority.
"The CM's benevolence was noticed by the gods, who gave him a clear majority," said a senior BJP leader.
Vishwanath will soon join the Suttur Mutt in Mysore, where he has been promised free education.
"I am overjoyed. Now I can study," he said.
The CM also visited the boy's slum after the trust vote and to the surprise of the residents, announced development plans for them, making Vishwanath a hero among his neighbours.