Bangalore: Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa has confirmed that he will "resign on Sunday afternoon". The beleaguered chief minister made the announcement in a press release, thus confirming earlier reports that he would quit by 1 pm tomorrow.
In a message sent earlier to top leaders of the BJP, Mr Yeddyurappa, who has been indicted in Lokayukta Santosh Hegde's report on illegal mining, added that he has "no plans to defy the party."
The Chief Minister has finally relented but only after a tough message was sent from the party high command. Sources say the BJP has told Mr Yeddyurappa it's "thus far and no further...we are ready to sacrifice the government if necessary." It was senior leaders LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj who intervened and pushed for a tough stance, sources add.
Mr Yeddyurappa had said on Thursday that he will send his resignation to the Governor on July 31. But late last night, he bargained for some more time. (Read BS Yeddyurappa's resignation letter to Nitin Gadkari)
During a meeting with senior party leaders Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley for two hours this morning, the Chief Minister stuck to his demand for two-three more days to finalise his exit plan. The BJP, however, was not ready to give in. The party was reportedly unhappy with Mr Yeddyurappa shifting positions and asked him to resign unconditionally by July 31.
Mr Singh and Mr Jaitley flew to Bangalore on Friday and spent the afternoon meeting with MLAs and MPs from Bangalore. The two delegates from Delhi are meant to serve as observers as the MLAs select the new Chief Minister. But their time has been spent so far in convincing Mr Yeddyurappa that he needs to spare his party further embarrassment and step down.
After the BJP Parliamentary Board directive on Thursday, Mr Yeddyurappa had issued a statement saying he would step down on July 31, but within hours he stirred up a virtual rebellion by setting pre-conditions that even resulted in the cancellation of the meeting to choose his successor on Friday.
Mr Yeddyurappa's move, which apparently took the central leadership by surprise, was seen as an attempt to play the hard ball for having a man of his choice as Chief Minister apart from securing a key party post to maintain his hold.
But sources now say that the party high command has agreed to opt for one of the three names put forward by the embattled chief minister.
Mr Yeddyurappa and his supporters are pushing for Sadananda Gowda to be the next Chief Minister. Mr Gowda belongs to the Vokkaliga community and is the MP from Udipi.
Ensuring Mr Yeddyurappa resigns before Monday is vital for the BJP. Its combat plans for the Parliament session starting Monday are to ride the wave of public anger and frustration against the government for what seems like a never-ending list of scams. Targeting the UPA while keeping Mr Yeddyurappa in office would make for a hollow campaign.
Yesterday, on the day when Mr Yeddyurappa's successor was to be selected in Bangalore, 75 of his party's 120 MLAs were joined by 15 BJP MPs in declaring that he should stay in office, despite his indictment for corruption in Mr Hegde's report.
The 'Save Yeddyurappa' campaign may fall short of a full-fledged revolt, but not for want of trying. "Karnataka BJP MPs are of the unanimous opinion that Mr Yeddyurappa should not resign. He should have taken the opinion of all elected representatives. We appeal to the high command to reconsider," said DB Chandre Gowda, an MP from Bangalore. "You all know he has said he will resign on 31st - but it is not the right time. Lok Sabha MPs have expressed their opinion," said Minister V Somanna.
The report on mining that forced Mr Yeddyurappa to offer his resignation was prepared by Santosh Hegde, the Lokayukta or ombudsman of Karnataka. Mr Hegde's report finds politicians from different parties guilty of permitting or participating in illegal mining - 16,000 crores have been lost over the last four years, concludes Mr Hegde.
The report has been shared with Governor HR Bhardwaj, who has tried repeatedly to have Mr Yeddyurappa's government dismissed. Both Mr Yeddyurappa and his party are aware that a formal split will allow the Governor to call for President's Rule. It's therefore in their best interest to work out their differences. So late on Friday evening, an emissary deputed by Mr Yeddyurappa reassured Mr Jaitley and Mr Singh that the Chief Minister remains loyal to his party.
The Chief Minister spent Thursday defying his party's advice to resign immediately. He capitulated at around 5.30 pm, after BJP leaders in Delhi publicly said twice that they were certain he would follow the party line. Shortly before My Yeddyurappa wrote to BJP president Nitin Gadkari, accepting that he would resign, the Reddy brothers indicated that they would obey whatever the party's central leadership decided. This may have prompted Mr Yeddyurappa to accept that the game was over. Known for his superstitions, he said that he will resign on July 31 instead of Friday for astrological reasons.
Contenders for next Chief Minister
Jagadish ShettarHe is currently the Rural Development Minister in Karnataka. Mr Shettar is not a nationally-known figure, but being a Lingayat like Yeddyurappa can work in his favour. Or it can work against him - if Yeddyurappa wants to stay the dominant Lingayat leader.
Eshwarappa
He is the Karnataka BJP president and belongs to the backward caste. Mr Eshwarappa, too, is not a nationally-known figure.
Sadananda Gowda
Former BJP state president, Mr Gowda is a non-controversial leader. He belongs to the Vokkaliga caste.
Ananth Kumar
Long considered a Yeddyurappa rival, Mr Ananth Kumar is believed to be working against him behind his back. Publicly, however, he and Yeddyurappa put on a united front. Mr Kumar is known at the national level. But he is a Brahmin so does not command a large vote bank.
VS Acharya
Former Home Minister, Mr VS Acharya is a Yeddyurappa loyalist. He has faced trouble many times in the past. Mr Acharya is a Brahmin, which may work against him.
Suresh Kumar
He is the current Law Minister and has a very clean image. As a Brahmin, he may not have a large vote bank to count on but a non-controversial image may work in his favour.
Shobha Karandlaje
She is not really in the line to succeed Yeddyurappa. And her proximity to the Karnataka Chief Minister may work against her. Ms Karandlaje belongs to the Vokkaliga caste.
In a message sent earlier to top leaders of the BJP, Mr Yeddyurappa, who has been indicted in Lokayukta Santosh Hegde's report on illegal mining, added that he has "no plans to defy the party."
The Chief Minister has finally relented but only after a tough message was sent from the party high command. Sources say the BJP has told Mr Yeddyurappa it's "thus far and no further...we are ready to sacrifice the government if necessary." It was senior leaders LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj who intervened and pushed for a tough stance, sources add.
Mr Yeddyurappa had said on Thursday that he will send his resignation to the Governor on July 31. But late last night, he bargained for some more time. (Read BS Yeddyurappa's resignation letter to Nitin Gadkari)
During a meeting with senior party leaders Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley for two hours this morning, the Chief Minister stuck to his demand for two-three more days to finalise his exit plan. The BJP, however, was not ready to give in. The party was reportedly unhappy with Mr Yeddyurappa shifting positions and asked him to resign unconditionally by July 31.
Mr Singh and Mr Jaitley flew to Bangalore on Friday and spent the afternoon meeting with MLAs and MPs from Bangalore. The two delegates from Delhi are meant to serve as observers as the MLAs select the new Chief Minister. But their time has been spent so far in convincing Mr Yeddyurappa that he needs to spare his party further embarrassment and step down.
After the BJP Parliamentary Board directive on Thursday, Mr Yeddyurappa had issued a statement saying he would step down on July 31, but within hours he stirred up a virtual rebellion by setting pre-conditions that even resulted in the cancellation of the meeting to choose his successor on Friday.
Mr Yeddyurappa's move, which apparently took the central leadership by surprise, was seen as an attempt to play the hard ball for having a man of his choice as Chief Minister apart from securing a key party post to maintain his hold.
But sources now say that the party high command has agreed to opt for one of the three names put forward by the embattled chief minister.
Mr Yeddyurappa and his supporters are pushing for Sadananda Gowda to be the next Chief Minister. Mr Gowda belongs to the Vokkaliga community and is the MP from Udipi.
Ensuring Mr Yeddyurappa resigns before Monday is vital for the BJP. Its combat plans for the Parliament session starting Monday are to ride the wave of public anger and frustration against the government for what seems like a never-ending list of scams. Targeting the UPA while keeping Mr Yeddyurappa in office would make for a hollow campaign.
Yesterday, on the day when Mr Yeddyurappa's successor was to be selected in Bangalore, 75 of his party's 120 MLAs were joined by 15 BJP MPs in declaring that he should stay in office, despite his indictment for corruption in Mr Hegde's report.
The 'Save Yeddyurappa' campaign may fall short of a full-fledged revolt, but not for want of trying. "Karnataka BJP MPs are of the unanimous opinion that Mr Yeddyurappa should not resign. He should have taken the opinion of all elected representatives. We appeal to the high command to reconsider," said DB Chandre Gowda, an MP from Bangalore. "You all know he has said he will resign on 31st - but it is not the right time. Lok Sabha MPs have expressed their opinion," said Minister V Somanna.
The report on mining that forced Mr Yeddyurappa to offer his resignation was prepared by Santosh Hegde, the Lokayukta or ombudsman of Karnataka. Mr Hegde's report finds politicians from different parties guilty of permitting or participating in illegal mining - 16,000 crores have been lost over the last four years, concludes Mr Hegde.
The report has been shared with Governor HR Bhardwaj, who has tried repeatedly to have Mr Yeddyurappa's government dismissed. Both Mr Yeddyurappa and his party are aware that a formal split will allow the Governor to call for President's Rule. It's therefore in their best interest to work out their differences. So late on Friday evening, an emissary deputed by Mr Yeddyurappa reassured Mr Jaitley and Mr Singh that the Chief Minister remains loyal to his party.
The Chief Minister spent Thursday defying his party's advice to resign immediately. He capitulated at around 5.30 pm, after BJP leaders in Delhi publicly said twice that they were certain he would follow the party line. Shortly before My Yeddyurappa wrote to BJP president Nitin Gadkari, accepting that he would resign, the Reddy brothers indicated that they would obey whatever the party's central leadership decided. This may have prompted Mr Yeddyurappa to accept that the game was over. Known for his superstitions, he said that he will resign on July 31 instead of Friday for astrological reasons.
Contenders for next Chief Minister
Jagadish ShettarHe is currently the Rural Development Minister in Karnataka. Mr Shettar is not a nationally-known figure, but being a Lingayat like Yeddyurappa can work in his favour. Or it can work against him - if Yeddyurappa wants to stay the dominant Lingayat leader.
Eshwarappa
He is the Karnataka BJP president and belongs to the backward caste. Mr Eshwarappa, too, is not a nationally-known figure.
Sadananda Gowda
Former BJP state president, Mr Gowda is a non-controversial leader. He belongs to the Vokkaliga caste.
Ananth Kumar
Long considered a Yeddyurappa rival, Mr Ananth Kumar is believed to be working against him behind his back. Publicly, however, he and Yeddyurappa put on a united front. Mr Kumar is known at the national level. But he is a Brahmin so does not command a large vote bank.
VS Acharya
Former Home Minister, Mr VS Acharya is a Yeddyurappa loyalist. He has faced trouble many times in the past. Mr Acharya is a Brahmin, which may work against him.
Suresh Kumar
He is the current Law Minister and has a very clean image. As a Brahmin, he may not have a large vote bank to count on but a non-controversial image may work in his favour.
Shobha Karandlaje
She is not really in the line to succeed Yeddyurappa. And her proximity to the Karnataka Chief Minister may work against her. Ms Karandlaje belongs to the Vokkaliga caste.
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