Santosh will replace BSY as state BJP chief: Belur

Congress leader and former MLA Belur Gopalakrishna predicted on Monday that BJP national joint secretary B L Santosh would replace B S Yeddyurappa as the state president of the BJP after the Lok Sabha election results.

Speaking to mediapersons here, he said Yeddyurappa would be sidelined after the results.

“BJP leaders, including former chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda, have hinted at the exit of Yeddyurappa as head of the state unit. Santosh, who is on good terms with the national leaders, will be the new state unit chief. With the exit of Yeddyurappa, sitting MP of Udupi-Chikkamaglur Shobha Karandlaje will also be sidelined,” he said.

BJP leaders Umesh Katti, V Somanna, Shobha and Ayanur Manjunath are under the impression that the coalition government will collapse. They fear that they will lose their clout with the exit of Yeddyurappa as chief of state unit, he said.

Yatnal eyes BJP top post

Meanwhile, Bijapur City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has said that he was an aspirant for the BJP’s top post in the state.

Speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi on Monday, Yatnal said, “I request the BJP leadership to appoint a leader from north Karnataka as party president in the state. The region has been the party’s bastion. Hence, a leader from north Karnataka should be picked to lead the party. A proposal in this regard has been made to party’s national leaders,” he said.