Eshwarappa quits as State BJP prez

State BJP president K S Eshwarappa, after dodging for long to give up the post, resigned on Thursday evening, just a day ahead of senior party leader Arun Jaitley’s arrival in Bangalore to select a new president.

Eshwarappa, who is also the deputy chief minister holding two major portfolios, was under pressure from the party to quit for the last one year. His performance as president was questioned by many in the party. He has headed the party for a little over three years.

Jaitley, expected to arrive in the capital on Friday evening, will initiate the process of selecting a new president by holding one-on-one talks with seniors as well as attending core committee meeting. The names of D V Sadananda Gowda, Nalin Kumar Kateel, Prahlad Joshi and R Ashoka are making the rounds.

Sources in the party also said that Jaitley may be made the in-charge of Assembly elections.

Eshwarappa announced his resignation at a press conference in Shimoga, his home district, on Thursday evening.

“Had I quit after the announcement of the results of ULB polls, the media would have attributed motives to my resignation. No one asked me to quit. I have done it voluntarily in the interest of the party. I wanted to make way for a new president,” Eshwarappa said.