The crisis triggered in the state BJP by former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s determination to regain his lost post, is set to go down to the wire with the former chief minister saying his demand for the replacement of Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda on the eve of the budget session is backed by 62 legislators and supported by a dozen Members of Parliament, all of whom have signed a letter demanding Mr Yeddyurappa’s reinstatement by Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday’s budget session.

The MPs who raised the issue with senior leaders like Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi found a surprise backer in Maneka Gandhi, BJP MP from Aonla. Ms Swaraj told the MPs, “Only that party forum which had asked Yeddyurappa to step down can now decide on whether he should be reinstated. The core group had made this decision and it will have to meet again if this decision has to be reconsidered.”

Pro-BSY MPs insisted that BJP leadership should ask Karnataka CM D.V. Sadananda Gowda to resign and reinstate Mr Yeddyurappa. BSY’s son B.Y. Raghavendra held a three hour long meeting at his official residence in Delhi with MPs supporting Mr Yeddyurappa. Meanwhile, state governor H.R. Bhardwaj reached New Delhi in a move that has set off speculation he has been summoned for consultations on the fluid political situation.

Insiders said that BSY had already prepared an alternative to DVS’ budget, which he has told Mr Jaitley and Ms Swaraj is a budget that will boost the BJP’s image unlike Gowda’s which focuses on the Gowda heartland where the Janata Dal (S) holds sway.

BSY has made it clear that he and his 62 loyalists, secluded at a resort in the outskirts of the city are set to boycott the budget session on March 21, the day on which results for the Chikmagalur-Udupi by poll will also be announced. Delhi is likely to weigh the bypoll results before taking a final decision on whether to reinstate BSY as a loss of the seat that Mr Sadananda Gowda vacated could reflect on the chief minister’s inability to fill BSY’s shoes. The BJP top brass, who met Karnataka MPs have counselled against the BSY group’s boycott of the budget session as it could precipitate the fall of the first saffron government in the house. The legislators may however, attend the house on Tuesday to pay their last respects to the recently deceased minister V.S. Acharya.

BJP party president, Nitin Gadkari on Monday counselled patience until he returned to the national capital. Mr Gadkari, who was in Mumbai, said no decision would be made under pressure and asked Mr Yeddyurappa to have patience. The party chief has reportedly headed for consultations with RSS chiefs in Nagpur with RSS sources in the city, indicating that they had suggested a compromise formula whereby the incumbent chief minister presents the budget on March 21 and Mr Yeddyurappa is sworn in as chief minister the day after.

This has however been rejected by BSY, who is pushing hard for a BJP core committee meeting in the capital to be convened which will announce his return, and for the chief minister to call for a legislature party meeting where he will be elected the new leader on Tuesday, and take over as chief minister.