Former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who for the second day running has convened meetings of his supporters in the city, dispatched his trusted emissary Shobha Karandlaje to Delhi to persuade party president Nitin Gadkari to give him a second chance.
Insiders close to the chief minister indicated that after an hour-long meeting, Ms Karandlaje had won an assurance from Mr Gadkari that if the embattled Mr Yeddyurappa clears his name of the corruption charges against him when the Karnataka high court resumes hearing the case on January 5, his plea to be reinstated as chief minister would be given a favourable hearing.
Sources said Ms Karandlaje had passed on BSY’s message that the present incumbent Mr Sadananda Gowda was “after all only a stopgap chief minister”, and had been installed on the agreement that BSY would be out of office for only six months. “It is not a permanent arrangement,” the source close to the former chief minister said.
Ms Karandlaje is also believed to have briefed Mr Gadkari about the series of meetings being organised by Mr Yeddyurappa including the one held with the party MLAs from the city on Monday and Tuesday.
BSY’s move to send Ms Karandlaje to New Delhi to keep the party national president informed was meant to pre-empt any complaints from the party state unit about the former CM calling a meeting of his supporters.
She reportedly told him of the MLAs’ views that the legislators were eager to see Mr Yeddyurappa back as chief minister. She also told him that the majority of legislators felt that the party must reinstate him as leader if it wants to win 150 seats in the next Assembly elections.
Ms Karandlaje met Mr Gadkari at the latter’s residence in New Delhi and discussed party affairs with him for almost an hour, party sources said.