Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has said that he expected a message and direction from the high command on July 25, a day before the completion of two years of his government, and till then he will do his duty. From 26 July, the 78-year-old Lingayat leader said he would “do what the high command says and focus on building the party”.
“There will be a special program to celebrate the achievements of this government on 26th. After that whatever the high command decides, I will follow it. His decision is my decision,” the chief minister has said.
He has also asked his supporters not to protest for him or bat for him. “The saints of the monastery have supported and blessed me. This has never happened before,” he said, thanking the high command, which allowed him to continue even after attaining the age of 75, which he said. The BJP has a self-determined benchmark.
With this clear sign of a possible change of leadership in Karnataka, top BJP leaders have reportedly started looking for Yeddyurappa’s replacement, who may be asked to resign. Quoting BJP sources, TOI reported that the central leadership has shortlisted some names keeping in mind the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.
As per reports, the BJP has shortlisted eight people for the post and said that a Lingayat would be chosen to carry forward Yeddyurappa’s legacy in the state. TOI reported, “Dharwad West MLA Arvind Belad, Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Karnataka Mines and Geology Minister Murgesh R Nirani and Basavaraj Bommai may get a chance as they belong to the Panchamasali Lingayat community.”
Speculations are rife that Yediyurappa may take the name of State Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai if asked to suggest his successor for the CM post. Other names like Pralhad Joshi, BL Santosh, CN Ashwath Narayan, Laxman Savadi, Govind Karjol, Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri and CT Ravi are also being considered.
Denying that he was lobbying to replace Yediyurappa, Nirani said he would abide by any decision taken by the BJP’s central leadership. Addressing the journalists, Nirani said that he is an ordinary BJP functionary and it is his duty to follow the orders of the party.
Meanwhile, several saints from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community on Friday decided to hold a convention of religious heads on July 25, which is being seen as sending a loud and clear message to the BJP party high command for not removing Yeddyurappa. .
The BJP which was the single largest party after the assembly elections in 2018, could not form the government as it fell short of majority. Congress and JDS came to power as an alliance. But a year later, thirteen Congress MLAs and three JDS legislators defected, leading to the collapse of the coalition government. BJP came to power with his support and BS Yediyurappa took oath as Chief Minister on July 26, 2019.
Karnataka is witnessing a power tussle within the BJP, which split the party into three, halting all development work during the Covid-19 induced lockdown. BJP Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh camped in Bengaluru to help douse the fire in June, but the factions opposing Yeddyurappa were in no mood to lay down arms against Yeddyurappa and his controversial son BY Vijayendra, whom they were directly responsible for. admit. present situation.
The wind of accusations and counter-allegations was blowing and the three groups attacked each other. A rebel group led by senior MLA BR Patil Yatnal has made it clear that they will accept nothing less than Yeddyurappa’s skull. Stepping up the attack, another MLA Arvind Bellad made serious allegations of telephone tapping against his own government.
Senior BJP leader and MLC H Vishwanath had accused BY Vijayendra of being involved in a huge multi-billion dollar scam. He had said that Yediyurappa was no longer in control and that his son was illegally giving orders to the bureaucracy.
Apart from the pro and anti BSY camps, there was a third faction which claimed to be neutral. Most of the original BJP/RSS MLAs were involved in this. He was openly admitting that the BSY chair was shaking and the party high command was expected to take a decision on his future at the earliest. He made it clear that he would accept the decision of the high command and would not indulge in any disgruntled activities.
In June, Arun Singh had met over 50 MLAs from all three factions and said, “Our party’s government has done well. There will be no change of leadership in the state.”
Recently, in an purported audio tape, state BJP president and MP Naleen Kumar Kateel can be heard pointing out a possible change of leadership in Karnataka. In the leaked audio, which he claimed to be fake, Kateel told someone in his mother tongue Tulu that Yediyurappa would be out soon and the new chief minister would come from New Delhi. He also said that senior BJP leaders and ministers KS Eshwarappa and Jagadish Shettar will also be shown the door.
While Yediyurappa, who flew to New Delhi and met party bosses including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said there is no threat to his chair and no one has asked him to resign. But, some leaders who opposed him said privately that Yeddyurappa would be easily ousted after completing two years on July 26. Adding some credibility to their claims, the party high command’s radio silence in New Delhi on the news of Yeddyurappa’s ouster as CM
It is a well-known fact that the powerful Lingayat leader Yediyurappa still enjoys popular support and a majority of MLAs are still with him. These factors have made the job of the high command difficult and every time they try to reduce or oust him, he uses his personal clout and charisma to save the chair.
The Yediyurappa camp suspected that BJP national general secretaries BL Santhosh and CT Ravi were against him and wanted a change of leadership keeping in mind the 2023 assembly elections.
Since Lingayats are politically and economically the most powerful caste in Karnataka, removing BSY will not be an easy task for the party leadership. Unless they take him into confidence and offer him a suitable alternative, BSY by nature is unlikely to agree to make a handsome exit.
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