Sources in the BJP say party state general secretary Santhosh Kumar is likely to pip frontrunners like Ananth Kumar to the CM's post
Sources in the BJP say party state general secretary Santhosh Kumar is likely to pip frontrunners like Ananth Kumar to the CM's post
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Kaun Banega CM? A BJP source said recent developments in the party
are clear indicators of an imminent change of leadership. H N Ananth
Kumar (right) is one of the frontrunners for the post. File pics
Highly-placed sources say Santhosh Kumar, state general secretary (organisation) of the BJP may pip frontrunners Jagadish Shettar, minister for rural development and panchayatraj, H N Ananth Kumar, MP representing Bangalore (South), and K S Eswarappa, party state president, to become the state's new chief minister.
MiD DAY had reported on this last month, when the Yeddyurappa government had to face two successive votes of confidence following the withdrawal of support of eleven MLAs.
And now, with the chorus for a change of leadership growing louder, it seems the party has decided that Santhosh, a non-legislator with an RSS background, should take charge of the state's affairs.
"The recent developments in the party are clear indicators of a change of leadership," said a source in the BJP. "While some known names are doing the rounds, a relatively unknown face is likely to come up as a surprise."u00a0
Dropping hints
Santhosh hinted at a change of leadership himself when he told MiD DAY, "I am not dreaming of becoming a chief minister. However, I can say that the state will see good days after a fortnight."
Sources in the BJP said Santhosh is seen as the Narendra Modi of Karnataka and he would be pushed to the top post to control another wave of dissent that seems to be brewing in the party.
On the one hand, the Reddy camp is up in arms against Yeddyurappa for not going in for a cabinet expansion and including loyalists Varthur Prakash and Raju Gowda. On the other, a group of MLAs, also dissatisfied with their non-inclusion in the cabinet, are reportedly working against the chief minister.
"The Reddys are demanding the post of the deputy chief minister for a member of their camp, which Yeddyurappa is vehemently opposed to," said the source. "This has made them go to the next level and hatch a plot to change the leadership."
The incessant media reports on the land scams allegedly involving Yeddyurappa's sons BY Raghavendra, who is the MP from Shimoga, BY Vijendra, and his daughter, SY Umadevi, are also helping his detractors build a case against him.
National role
Responding to the reports, a visibly upset Yeddyurappa said, "I have taken note of the conspiracy being hatched against me, but I will not allow anybody to destabilise me. I have called a press conference on Monday to unmask my opponents."
However, it is being said that senior leaders in the RSS will try to persuade Yeddyurappa to pave the way for his successor and ask him to take greater responsibility in national politics.
Even Yeddyurappa's stars point to this, according to his family priest, Bhanuprakash Sharma. "The chief minister's stars point to him being shifted from state politics to national politics. This will prove good for him."
M C Jayadev, a senior RSS leader who is regarded as Yeddyurappa's political mentor, is also understood to have tried to convince him to support Santhosh Kumar as the chief minister. Santhosh is also close to Jayadev and, like Yeddyurappa, is from Shimoga.
| Winds of change |
| >>Ruling out change in leadership, BS Yeddyurappa had said a fortnight back that he was ready to discuss issues with anybody to resolve the problem. |
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