The seven hours between 9 am and 4 pm on Tuesday could well have been the most agonising moments of Chief Minister-designate Jagadish Shettar's life with his neighbour and outgoing Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda posing a serious challenge to him by holding back nearly 50 legislators at his residence Anugraha. “On a day, when he was supposed to be surrounded by legislators, unfortunately, Mr Shettar had to stay locked in a room, glued to news channels to keep a tab on what was happening in the rival camp. He attended only a few phone calls from party leaders who were in talks with both camps," a senior leader who had come to meet Mr Shettar told Deccan Chronicle.
If party leaders had not succeeded in convincing the Sadananda Gowda camp to attend the BJPLP meeting by 3:30 pm, it would have been a disaster for the CM in waiting. Finally, the wait was over and he returned home with an elusive smile, after being unanimously elected the new leader of the BJPLP at 5:30 pm. But Mr Shettar and his supporters were in no mood to celebrate as Mr Gowda had not resigned from the
CM's post. "I do not know why our Dhani (Master) is being tested like this. At last, he accepted the bouquet brought for him. We have been waiting to hear this news," one of his supporters said. "Since, morning he has neither accepted flowers nor spoken to us in a lighter vein. He told us not to celebrate or burst crackers until Mr Gowda resigns," the supporter claimed. Quoting Mr Shettar, the source added that the CM designate had instructed his family members and personal staff not to issue any statements until the stalemate was resolved amicably.