The eclipse of Yeddyurappa?

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Is the Yeddyurappa era in state politics coming to an end? Tied down by a series of land and illegal mining scams and a CBI probe hanging over his head, the former chief minister received a rude shock on Tuesday when several of his nominees did not find place in the list of ministers in the new government though the big names made it.

Foiling BSY’s plan was his nominee for the CM post, Jagadish Shettar, who sources said, is being used by the BJP leadership to reduce the overbearing influence Yeddyurappa has on Karnataka politics. That the former CM no longer commands the same clout became evident when supporters of Kundapur MLA Haladi Srinivas Shetty, who was denied a cabinet berth, shouted slogans against BSY, saying he was responsible for the fiasco.

Mr Yeddyurappa and son B.Y. Raghavendra made a futile attempt to convince Mr Shettar to accommodate Mr Srinivas Shetty but were told that BSY would have to sacrifice either V. Somanna or B.J. Puttaswamy, who are close to him. Another MLA loyal to BSY, who could not make it, reportedly shouted at the ex-CM that he had become so ineffective that ‘no one would turn up at his residence after four days.’

The replacement of Srinivas Shetty with Kota Srinivasa Poojari, MLC, prompted a couple of legislators from Udupi to threaten en masse resignations. Their supporters mobbed Mr Yeddyurappa and Mr Raghavendra who tried to pacify them. BSY loyalists C.C. Patil and Laxman Savadi of Porngate fame are sulking while three others — M.P. Kumaraswamy, Y. Sampangi and Nanjunda Swamy—staged a dharna in front of Vidhana Soudha as a mark of protest.