BANGALORE:The race for ‘selection’ of the new chief Minister in Karnataka on Monday got hotter as BJP factions lobbied hard to ensure their candidates landed the coveted post.
For the past four days, after the Parliamentary Board of the BJP asked Mr B S Yeddyurappa to quit over illegal mining report by Lokayukta, a bitter factional feud ensued in the state.
After a series of inconclusive negotiations, BJP Central leaders Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley, who were in the city for the past three days, put off the Legislature Party Meeting to select the new Chief Minister to August 3 and left for New Delhi on Sunday night.
Groups led by Mr Yeddyurappa and BJP General Secretary H N Ananth Kumar, who is supported by another BJP strongman and state president K S Eshrawrappa, have been at loggerheads and fought for supremacy within the party.
Both the factions claimed to have the support of over half the 121-member BJP Group in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly. The BJP, which made its first advent down the Vindhyas in the state in May 2008, will be in power for another 22 months.
Monday, there was a lull in political activity compared to the last week’s high drama.
After party observers Mr Singh and Mr Jaitley had ”accomplished” the biggest challenge making a defiant Mr Yeddyurappa quit office Sunday evening after three days of suspense, the selection of the new leader still remains.
Mr Yeddyurappa said he quit the post as a ”disciplined soldier of the party” and did not defy the party’s instructions.
State party in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan continued his parleys in the city today and met most of the top BJP leaders.(UNI)