BJP meet for new Karnataka CM put off

PTI

Bangalore, 30 July 2011: A rebellion of sorts broke out in BJP in Karnataka on Friday with Yeddyurappa loyalists pressing the high command to allow him to continue as Chief Minister, claiming he has the support of over half the party MLAs and MPs.

 

In what appears to be a show of strength by 68-year-old B.S. Yeddyurappa that could delay electing his successor, his camp legislators told the party’s central observers Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley that it should reconsider the decision asking him to resign. The observers were told that the opinion of individual MLAs must be ascertained.

 

As Mr. Yeddyurappa continued to be a rallying point for his loyalists upset over his exit, the BJP Legislature party meeting scheduled for Friday has been put off amid reports that Mr. Yeddyurappa is pressing hard that the next chief minister should be his nominee.

 

“75 MLAs, 15 Lok Sabha MPs, three Rajya Sabha MPs, 20 MLCs want Yeddyurappa as leader,” claimed Rajya Sabha MP Prabhakar Kore, adding they want the high command to allow BJP’s first chief minister in the South to continue in his post. BJP has 121 MLAs in a House of 224.

 

Some of the legislators also openly demanded that Mr. Yeddyurappa be made the president of the State unit of BJP and that he should choose his successor.

 

Mr. Singh and Mr. Jaitley also met Mr. Yeddyurappa at his residence in a bid to convince him on the need for a smooth change in guard with the Monsoon session of Parliament just couple of days away when issues relating to corruption are expected to be high on the agenda.

 

Mr. Singh asserted efforts were underway to elect a new leader by “consensus”.

 

“A majority of MLAs, MLCs and Lok Sabha members are with Yeddyurappa. Yeddyurappa is our leader”, loyalist Minister M.P. Renukacharya said. “We appeal to the central leaders to continue with Yeddyurappa (as Chief Minister).”

 

I am a disciplined BJP worker: Yeddyurappa

 

Before the developments unfolded here, Mr. Yeddyurappa, who reluctantly agreed to resign on Thursday following the high command’s decision in the wake of his severe indictment by the Lokayukta in the illegal mining scam, said he will be officially submitting his resignation to Governor H.R. Bharadwaj on July 31.

 

In his first comments after keeping the party on tenterhooks, Mr. Yeddyurappa said in a statement he had toiled for 40 years to build the party in Karnataka from scratch and it was his “committed desire” to work for its development in future also.

 

New CM will take oath on Aug 1: Naidu

 

Mr. Yeddyurappa while breaking his silence after the party asked him to step down said he has agreed to resign as a “disciplined worker” of BJP.

 

Senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu and in-charge of party affairs in Karnataka Dharmendra Pradhan also held consultations on the issue of electing a new leader.

 

As the developments unfolded, a section of MLAs met at the residence of Tourism Minister G. Janardhana Reddy, some others at the Chief Minister’s, while a few more at the party office where Mr. Eshwarappa and Ananth Kumar were present.

 

Mr. Naidu said the election process is going to be a smooth affair and the new Chief Minister would most probably take office on August 1, after Mr. Yeddyurappa submits his resignation on July 31.

 

The probables

 

The names doing the rounds are State BJP president K.S. Eshwarappa, Lok Sabha MP Sadanand Gowda, Higher Education Minister V. S. Acharya, Law and Justice Minister Suresh Kumar S, party national general secretary and MP Ananth Kumar, Rural Development minister Jagadish Shettar, a Lingayat leader and Yeddyurappa’s close associate and minister Shoba Karandlaje.