Karnataka's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators' meet to pick a successor to outgoing Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa Wedneday turned stormy with slogan shouting and jostling among the lawmakers, party sources said.
The legislators met at a hotel in city centre to choose a new leader between two contenders - Lok Sabha member from Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Rural Development Minister Jagadish Shettar.
Media persons were not allowed in but slogans for and against Yeddyurappa, Gowda and Shettar could be heard outside. There was jostling among the legislators, said party officials who came out even as the noisy meeting was on.
For some time central observers Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley were mute spectators to the scene.
To their chagrin, the unruly scenes unfolded shortly after they in their brief speeches reminded the legislators of the damage the developments of the past one week have inflicted on the party's image.
With no consensus in sight, the two said the new leader would be elected by 'secret ballot' for which arrangements had been made.
Yeddyurappa and his supporters are backing Gowda while a group led by state BJP chief K.S. Eshwarappa is batting for Shettar.
Only members of the assembly were allowed to vote. The party's parliament members and members of the state legislative council were asked to leave the meeting once the balloting started.
The party has 120 members in the 225-member assembly that includes one nominated member.
The exact number of the legislators attending the exercise to elect the new leader was not clear. Around 115 were believed to be participating.