[1]As loyalists of former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa set a June 30 deadline to convene a legislature party meeting to pick a new chief minister, state BJP president K.S. Eshwarappa further muddied the waters by throwing his hat in the ring for the Chief Minister’s post, setting off fresh speculation on where this ‘leadership change’ will lead.
The senior leader, who had two closed door meetings with former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa at the Jindal Nature Cure Institute, is reported to have warned the former CM against backing another Lingayat — Mr Jagadish Shettar — for the job of CM as this would shut the door on BSY to ever laying claim to the post again. And then, on Tuesday during a visit to Shimoga, he spoke openly of his ambitions.
“Some MLAs are pressurizing me to become the Chief Minister,” Mr Eshwarappa told the media, giving rise to speculation that he was speaking on behalf of a new group of legislators who belong to the backward classes and are led by municipal administration minister Balachandra Jarkiholi; all opposed to leadership change, and insistent that the BJP elect a leader from a community other than Lingayats. This could also be a strategy to keep the issue on the boil and force the high command to keep Sadananda Gowda on as Chief Minister.
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[1] http://archive.asianage.com/eswarappa-rss-bangalore9jpgcropdisplayjpg-330