Yediyurappa's days in office numbered?

Bengaluru: The speculation of replacing Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is getting stronger day-by-day. On Saturday Yediyurappa was in Delhi to meet BJP chief J.P. Nadda, but the sources say that the veteran leader was asked to step down after July 26, the day, the ruling BJP government will complete its second year in office in the State.

Yediyurappa's demand for two months' time to contemplate stepping down has been categorically rejected by the BJP high command and clearly stated that things should happen as per the party's decision, not by the conditions laid down by Yediyurappa. So, finally he has offered to resign and his days in office are numbered, says sources from BJP.

Reacting to the speculation, Yediyurappa said, "These are all just rumours. Yesterday I met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed the development of the State. I am coming back to Delhi in the first week of next month. There is no value for such news, and I have no time to answer these rumours."

According to reports from the high-level sources, the BJP has offered the post of deputy chief minister to his son B.Y. Vijayendra and Yediyurappa has apparently been insisting on the post of the state party president for him. The calculation is to go to the assembly elections under his son's leadership, thus making Vijayendra the natural choice for the CM post after the 2023 assembly elections.

It is said that the high command is keen on giving an honourable exit to 78-year-old Lingayat strongman. According to analysts and experts, if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre does manage to replace Yediyurappa, it will bring about a major shift in Karnataka's political discourse, which thrives on caste equations, coalition building and other local factors that have allowed the likes of Siddaramaiah, HD Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy prevail with their signature style of politics for the last two decades.

So, the BJP at the Centre is trying to achieve a smooth shift in power by offering Deputy CM's post to his son. An expert says, if we look back, Yediyurappa in 2013 assembly elections had shown that he could sabotage the saffron and built a new KJP party. After Yediyurappa's departure, the BJP's tally in the state had reduced to 40 in 2013 from 110 in 2008 assembly elections for 224-seat House, when Yediyurappa led the party.

A political analyst also commented that in 2013, many believed that Yediyurappa helped in fulfilling Siddaramaiah's aspirations of becoming chief minister by orchestrating the defeat of G Parameshwara of the Congress. So, this time BJP must think before it makes any decision.