Outgoing Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa was the only leader smiling among a sea of grim faces as his nominee D.V. Sadananda Gowda was elected BJP legislature party leader in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Some 63 votes were cast for Mr Gowda and 55 for the losing candidate, Mr Jagadish Shettar, in a secret ballot that within minutes became all too public, and exposed the rift in the party.
The new chief minister is set to take the oath of office on Thursday, but the ever-smiling DVS will be sworn in the face of a hitherto unheard-of boycott of the ceremony by 55 legislators who voted for Mr Shettar, BSY’s arch-rival and Bengaluru MP Ananth Kumar’s candidate for the post.
DVS’ victory has angered not just the BJP’s top leadership, who despite their best efforts were unable to stave off Mr Yeddyurappa’s carefully planned coup, but has also deeply upset Mr Shettar’s mentor, Mr Kumar, who once again was completely outmanoeuvred by the wily BSY, whom insiders say will ensure he comes back to power within six months. “I will be back”, a beaming BSY told reporters as he left the hotel with supporters.
The majority of the votes in favour of DVS came from the group carefully nurtured by BSY through the various “Operation Lotuses” that bolstered
BSY’s position in the party and not the hardcore RSS, which would have preferred to see a Lingayat replacing a Lingayat.
Insiders said DVS’ win was also a huge slap in the face of Mr Kumar, as well as central party leaders like L.K. Advani and Arun Jaitley who had arrived in Bengaluru with the express intent on removing BSY. Instead, their weakening hold over the party has been exposed, while at the same time reaffirming BSY’s stranglehold over the state unit. The Delhi top brass demonstrated their shock and anger at the result by not making an announcement of the results of the secret ballot, choosing instead to leave the venue and leaving it to DVS to announce his election as chief of the BJP legislature party.
In a sign, however, that the victory may only be short-term, and the BJP could be heading for a split, some 55 MLAs owing allegiance to the losing candidate in Wednesday’s chief ministerial stakes decided to demonstrate their opposition to the new CM by staying away from his oath-taking ceremony.
The election of Mr Yeddyurappa’s close ally as chief minister has upset the north Karnataka Lingayat lobby, whose members say Mr Yeddyurappa ignored the appeal made by most Lingayat leaders and maths to support a Lingayat candidate, claiming that BSY supported DVS for his own selfish motives.
All anti-Gowda MLAs of the BJP are meeting at Mr Shettar’s home overnight to take a decision on whether to boycott the new government, although sources said that even if some of the MLAs attend the meeting on Thursday, they would not join the new government.
The Lingayat lobby strongly feels that the government led by Mr Gowda will not last. “The government almost went to the extent of collapse when only 11 MLAs were disqualified in recent times. Now with 55 MLAs clearly voting against the CM, how can this government last,” a Lingayat leader asked.
Mr Gowda, who was to observe Naga Panchami in his hometown and take the oath on Friday, was forced to cancel his plans as the swearing-in ceremony was
rescheduled due to President Pratibha Patil’s visit to the state on Friday.
Mr Gowda has held several posts, including that of party state unit chief. He is an MLA representing Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency. Mr Gowda will take the oath office and secrecy alone on Thursday. He has to consult the RSS and BJP central leaders before selecting the members of his Cabinet.