BSY may wait till polls in 5 states

Realising that the BJP central leadership has very little time to spare for the party’s developments in Karnataka, former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa has decided to bid his time for some more weeks.

He is likely to wait till the completion of assembly elections in five states (that is till the first week of March) before making any major political move.

Earlier, Yeddyurappa had set a deadline of January 15 to the central leadership to reinstate him as chief minister or face political backlash.  However, with the party central leaders being involved in poll preparations, Yeddyurappa has been left with no choice but to wait.

His loyalists even did not want Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda to convene the 10-day legislature session. But in all probability, the session may begin from January 30 as per the original plan.

Yeddyurappa’s loyalists on Wednesday finalised his state-wide tour programme, commencing from January 7,  which is seen as a show of his strength by the former chief minister to the party central leadership. According to party sources, Yeddyurappa will begin his tour from Shimoga on January 7, followed by Bangalore on the next day. On January 12, he will visit Badami (Jan 14), Gulbarga (Jan 16), Mudhol (Jan 18), KR Pet (Jan 19), Chamarajnagar (Jan 22), Bangalore (Jan 23) and Udupi (Jan 24). Cabinet ministers including Murugesh Nirani, M P Renukacharya, Appachu Ranjan, and legislators Suresh Gowda, B P Harish and D N Jeevaraj visited the BJP leader at his residence in Bangalore on Wednesday.