It’s almost certain that Yediyurappa will demit office shortly

Milind Dharmasena

Bengaluru: The stage is getting set for Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to step down from the post even as he completes two years in office on July 26.

Yediyurappa’s visit to New Delhi last week after nearly six months where he met all the BJP bosses triggered off speculations of his impending exit from office. Though. Yediyurappa has vehemently denied that he has offered to step down, the buzz in political circles is that the BJP’s central leadership has reportedly asked him to gracefully make way for a fresh face ahead of the Assembly polls in 2023.

After losing West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in the recent assembly elections, the BJP bosses want to start the spadework of strengthening the party in Karnataka and ensure it returns to power in 2023. Karnataka is the only state down South where the party is in power.

A deeply religious person, who believes in numerology, Yediyurappa might prefer to wait for the Ashaada month (considered inauspicious) to end on August 8. The CM has also convened party legislators meeting on July 26, which the MLAs particularly those gunning for his replacement had been asking for a long time. This will be preceded by a cabinet meeting on July 22 after which he has planned a two-day tour of his home district Shivamogga.

Even as the speculation of Yediyurappa having been asked to step down gained momentum on Monday, the debate was on who will be his next successor? An undisputed leader of the Lingayat community across parties, which has a 17 per cent population in Karnataka, Yediyurappa is credited with building the BJP in Karnataka from scratch.

Thus it was not surprising that Yediyurappa got support from some Lingayat Congress leaders including former ministers Shamnur Shivashankarappa and M B Patil. Taking to the micro blogging platform twitter, Patil said: “BJP is bound to face the wrath of the Lingayats, if they ill treat a tall leader. The BJP should value the contribution of BSY and treat him with dignity. It’s my personal opinion and understanding though proposed changes maybe internal matter of the party.”

The BJP high command’s decision to consider replacing Yediyurappa comes close on the heels after party’s Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh had ruled it out after his visit to Karnataka. According to BJP sources the party bosses had contemplated a change of guard in Karnataka two months ago but had to put the plan on hold due to the second wave of the Pandemic

Sources said the BJP leadership wants to ensure a smooth transition of power in Karnataka on the lines of Uttarakhand and Assam where the then CMS were called to New Delhi and their resignation letters obtained. Yediyurappa will be 80 years old in 2023 which is way past the ceiling of 75 years the party has laid down for holding a post.

Indications are Yediyurappa will be compensated with a gubernatorial post of the Governor of a state and his son Vijayendra presently vice-president of the state unit will be elevated.

(Milind Dharmasena is a Freelance Writer based in Bengaluru)