The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to be left with little option but to chuck its Karnataka Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda to prevent a possible split in the state unit following rebellion by his predecessor B.S. Yeddyurappa.
Promising Yeddyurappa that it will act soon on his demand for re-instatement, the BJP is trying to persuade the former chief minister and his supporters to allow Gowda to present the budget on Wednesday in the assembly, which begins its short ten-day session on Tuesday.
"We will take an appropriate decision soon. However we will not take any decision under pressure," BJP chief Nitin Gadkari told reporters in Mumbai as Yeddyurappa and his supporters insisted in Bangalore that Gowda must go immediately.
As part of keeping up the pressure on party national leaders, Yeddyurappa made his political secretary B. J. Puttaswamy file nomination papers for the March 30 Rajya Sabha poll from Karnataka though the party has officially chosen two candidates.
With 120 members in the 225-member assembly, the BJP can easily get two of its candidates elected as each needs 45 votes to win. The party's official candidates, former state unit president Basavaraj Patil Sedam and party's central election cell convenor R. Ramakrishna filed their papers in Bengaluru on Monday.
Yeddyurappa is claiming the support of 70 of the 120 members who include nearly half of the 23 ministers in the Gowda cabinet.
The former chief minister and his supporters are staying in a resort on Bengaluru outskirts since Sunday night and may decide only on Tuesday morning whether to attend the assembly or not.
Gadkari, who is believed to be inclined to accept Yeddyurappa's demand for re-instatement, told him to have patience.
"He should be patient and cooperate as the party will decide on his demand soon," the BJP chief said.
Apart from Gadkari, another senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley also indicated that a decision that satisfies Yeddyurappa is likely soon.
He told reporters in Gandhinagar that he was in touch with Yeddyurappa and the issue will be resolved soon.
Jaitley noted that the Karnataka high court had quashed the mining bribery case against Yeddyurappa.
Yeddyurappa was forced to quit on July 31 last year after the then Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde on July 27 sought his trial on the ground that his family members had received Rs. 30 crore from two mining companies in return for favours.
The Karnataka High Court on March 7 quashed the findings of the Lokayukta and also the case against Yeddyurappa.
Jaitley said Yeddyurappa had been asked to resign after the Lokayukta report on illegal mining. "That prosecution has been quashed," he pointed out.
Gowda, who took over August 4 and is preparing to present his first budget, went about his business unperturbed in Bengaluru.
"No body has asked me for a meeting of the legislature party," he told reporters, to queries about Yeddyurapa and his supporters' demand for such a meeting to elect a leader in place of Gowda.
The chief minister was confident that he will present the budget Wednesday. "The legislature party meeting will be held only after budget presentation," he asserted.
Gowda played down several ministers going along with Yedyurappa for a stay in the resort. "How can I restrict anybody from going anywhere," he said.