BJP State team to convince central leaders to retain BSY

Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, Deputy Chief Ministers K S Eshwarappa and R Ashoka, and a few other ministers will leave for New Delhi Tuesday morning to seek the intervention of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central leadership to persuade former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa not to quit the party.

On reaching the national capital, they will attend to some official work and will later meet party national president Nitin Gadkari and other senior leaders, including Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj.

The delegation will explain them that Yeddyurappa’s exit will help neither the BJP nor the former chief minister.

It will have representation of the government (CM and DyCM), the party (Eshwarappa) and Sangh (BJP general secretary organisation Santhosh).

Yeddy’s loyalists

Some of Yeddyurappa loyalist ministers, including Basavaraj Bommai, C M Udasi, Umesh Katti and V Somanna, will join the chief minister and his deputies on their Delhi visit.  

The last ditch effort to retain Yeddyurappa in the BJP follows a dilemma on the part of the Yeddyurappa loyalists over their next political move. Yeddyurappa’s loyalists have already told their leader that it would be difficult for them to openly identify with his yet-to-be launched Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) while continuing as ministers, as this will send a wrong message to their electorate.

On the other hand, resignation from the Shettar Cabinet will lead to the immediate collapse of the government.

The best option was to convince Yeddyurappa to remain in the BJP. A source close to Yeddyurappa said it was easy to cajole the former chief minister, if some of the senior leaders call on him.

Hell bent on quitting

However, Yeddyurappa on Monday maintained that he was determined to quit the BJP and launch his own political outfit at a mammoth rally in Haveri on December 10.

Several homas and poojas were arranged at Yeddyurappa’s residence and they will continue on Tuesday.