Yeddyurappa eyes Karnataka BJP chief post
In a letter to PM-elect Narendra Modi, Yeddyurappa has made it clear that he does not want to be a Union minister, but wants to revive the BJP, which suffered humiliating losses in last year's Assembly polls.
After winning the Lok Sabha elections with the highest margin of 3.63 lakh votes in Karnataka, former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has now set his eyes on the post of the Karnataka BJP president.
In a letter to PM-elect Narendra Modi, Yeddyurappa has made it clear that he does not want to be a Union minister, but wants to revive the BJP, which suffered humiliating losses in last year's Assembly polls.
While leaders within the BJP had written him off, the Lingayat (Karnataka's largest community) leader gave his detractors a befitting reply through a strong performance in the Parliamentary polls. Of the 28 MPs who won from Karnataka, Yeddyurappa had the highest victory margin. Besides, candidates nominated by him also won comfortably. No doubt the 'Modi wave' was instrumental in helping the BJP win from 17 segments, but Yeddyurappa too played his part in the Lingayatdominated constituencies of north and central Karnataka.
According to BJP insiders, Yeddyurappa is aware that he cannot be a Union minister because of a number of court cases pending against him. "The BJP may be inclined to appoint him as the new party chief in the state as there is no other capable person with that kind of a clout," a senior leader said.
Yeddyurappa fought the last Assembly elections under his political outfit KJP, which damaged the prospects of the BJP in more than 30 constituencies.