Who’ll it be for DyCM?

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With Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda himself announcing on Saturday that he would step down, the race is now heating up for the deputy chief minister’s post. Going back on its earlier stand, the party top brass has decided to create the deputy chief minister’s post. BJP state President K.S. Eshwarappa and Home Minister R. Ashok are in the race and lobbying hard with the central leaders, party sources told Deccan Chronicle.

While Eshwarappa is a Kuruba, and seen to be close to Mr Sadananda Gowda, Mr Ashok is a Vokkaliga, who has strategically maintained equidistance from the two factions. Mr Ashok has been pitching for the post with the argument that Vokkaligas, who are upset with the BJP over the ouster of the community representative Mr Sadananda Gowda, would be pacified with his elevation.

On the other hand, Mr Eshwarappa, who at one point threw his hat in the ring for the Chief Minister’s post, has been keen to return to the ministry. Mr Eshwarappa’s presence in the cabinet would help the party retain its hold on voters of Kuruba community, thus neutralizing the influence of Congress leader Mr Siddaramaiah. The Congress leader has already addressed a conference of Kurubas in Davanagere and staked claim to the Chief Minister’s post in case the Congress wins next year’s polls to the Legislative Assembly.

Senior party leaders had earlier made it a point to avoid the deputy chief minister’s post, which is not constitutionally recognized, to avoid dual power centres in all states ruled by the party, the sole exception being Bihar where it was a coalition partner. The leaders had arrived at this decision in view of power struggles and confusion set off by those who occupied the post in the past, the sources added. On Sunday, the BJP Parliamentary Board is expected to formally ratify Mr Shettar’s name for the chief minister’s post. The scene will shift to Bengaluru.