Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has said that he was expecting a message and instructions from the high command on July 25, a day before his government completes two years, and until then he would be performing his duty. From July 26, the 78-year-old Lingayat strongman said he will “do what the high command says and focus on building the party”.
“On the 26th, there will be a special programme celebrating this government’s achievements. After that, whatever the high command decides, I will go by that. Their decision is my decision,” the chief minister has said.
He has also asked his supporters not to protest for him or bat for him. “Mutt seers have backed and blessed me. This has never happened before,” he added as he thanked the high command which allowed him to continue even after attaining the age of 75, a self-imposed criteria of the BJP.
With this clear hint of a possible leadership change in Karnataka, the BJP top brass has reportedly started looking for a replacement of Yediyurappa, who is likely to be asked to resign. Quoting the BJP sources, TOI reported that the central leadership has shortlisted a few names keeping 2023 Karnataka assembly elections in mind.
According to the report, the BJP has shortlisted eight persons for the post and added that most likely a Lingayat will be picked to take forward the legacy of Yediyurappa in the state. “Dharwad West MLA Aravind Bellad, Vijayapura MLA Basannagouda Patil Yatnal, Karnataka Mines and Geology Minister Murgesh R Nirani and Basavaraj Bommai may get a chance as they belong to Panchamasali Lingayat community,” TOI reported.
Speculations are that Yediyurappa is likely to name state home minister Basavaraj Bommai if asked to suggest his successor for CM post. Other names such as Pralhad Joshi, BL Santosh, CN Ashwath Narayan, Laxman Savadi, Govind Karjol, Visveshwara Hegde Kageri and CT Ravi are also being taken into consideration.
Denying that he was lobbying to replace Yediyurappa, Nirani said he will abide by any decision taken by the BJP central leadership. Addressing reporters, Nirani said he was an ordinary BJP functionary and it was his duty to follow the party’s diktat.
Meanwhile, several seers of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community on Friday decided to organise religious heads convention on July 25 in what is seen as sending out a loud and clear message to BJP party high command not to remove Yediyurappa.
The BJP which was the single largest party following the Assembly elections in 2018 could not form the government as it was short of the majority. The Congress and JDS came to power as a coalition. But a year later, thirteen MLAs from Congress and three MLAs from the JDS defected which led to the fall of the coalition government. The BJP came to power with their support and BS Yediyurappa was sworn in as Chief Minister on July 26, 2019.
Karnataka BJP has been witnessing a power tussle within, which split the party into three, halting all developmental works during the Covid-19 induced lockdown. BJP Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh camped in Bengaluru in June to help douse the fire, but the factions opposed to Yediyurappa were not in a mood to lay down their arms against Yediyurappa and his controversial son BY Vijayendra, whom they hold directly responsible for the current situation.
Allegations and counter-allegations were flying thick as all three factions attacked each other. A rebel faction led by senior MLA BR Patil Yatnal made it clear that they will not settle for anything less than the scalp of Yediyurappa. Stepping up the attack, another MLA Aravind Bellad made serious allegations of telephone tapping against his own government.
Senior BJP leader and MLC H Vishwanath had alleged that BY Vijayendra was involved in a huge billion dollar scam. He had said that Yediyurappa was no longer in control and his son was illegally passing the orders to bureaucracy.
Besides pro and anti-BSY camps, there was a third faction that claimed to be neutral. It comprised mostly of original BJP/RSS MLAs. They were openly admitting that BSY’s chair was shaking and expected the party high command to take a decision on his future at the earliest. They clarified that they will accept the high command’s decision and will not engage in any dissident activities.
In June, Arun Singh had met over 50 MLAs from all three factions and said, “Our party government has done well. There will be no leadership change in the state.”
More recently, in an alleged audio tape, state BJP president and MP Naleen Kumar Kateel could be heard hinting at 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 added that senior BJP leaders and ministers KS Eshwarappa and Jagadish Shettar would also be shown the door.
While Yediyurappa, who flew to New Delhi and met the party bosses, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that there was no threat to his chair and no one has asked him to resign. But, some leaders opposed to him maintained in private that Yediyurappa would be eased out after he completes two years in office on July 26. What added some credence to their claims is radio silence of the party high command in New Delhi over reports of Yediyurappa’s ouster as CM.
It is a well-known fact that the powerful Lingayat leader Yediyurappa still enjoys popular support and majority MLAs are still with him. These factors have made job of the high command difficult and every time they try to downsize him or oust him, he uses his personal clout and charisma to save the chair.
Yediyurappa camp suspected that BJP national general secretaries BL Santosh and CT Ravi were against him and they wanted a change of leadership, keeping the 2023 Assembly elections in mind.
Since Lingayats are politically and economically the most powerful caste in Karnataka, ejecting BSY won’t be an easy job for the party leadership. Unless they take him into confidence and offer him a suitable alternative, the temperamental BSY is unlikely to agree to make a graceful exit.
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