From BJP to KJP on Nov. 9

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Former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has set November 9 as the date for his formal takeover as president of the yet to be launched Karnataka Janata Party (KJP).

Sources said Yeddyurappa will assume the reins of KJP, which has already been registered by Padmanabha Prasanna Kumar with the Election Commission of India. The veteran Lingayat leader started the spadework for this process on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami by holding talks with Prasanna Kumar.

“We have convened the state executive of KJP on November 9 when Yeddyurappa will be elected KJP president. The meeting will be held at Mr Yeddyurappa’s office at Malleswaram. All new members and old members of KJP will be present on that day to elect Yeddyurappa as new state president of KJP”, Prasanna Kumar said.

Last week, Yeddyurappa had sent Prasanna Kumar and his loyalist and former Union minister Dhananjaya Kumar to New Delhi to meet the Chief Election Commissioner and decide on the procedure to elect a new president and the other formalities including the renewal of registration of KJP with the poll panel.

The meeting on Wednesday, which was also attended by Prasanna Kumar and Dhananjaya Kumar, discussed the formalities to be followed after the November 9 meeting. “We have also discussed with him the steps to be taken after the election of a new state unit president. After Yeddyurappa takes charge of KJP, we will intimate the Election Commission of India on the new arrangement”, Prasanna Kumar added.

The former CM has assigned the responsibility of building the new party in the taluks and districts to his loyalist MLAs and ministers. Prasanna Kumar had also submitted a letter to the ECI seeking the cycle symbol for KJP.

The cycle symbol comes under the “free symbols” category.

Yeddyurappa reiterated that his new party will be formally launched on December 10. “BJP leaders have been trying to derail my attempts at launching a new party. To create confusion among my supporters, BJP state leaders have been saying that central leaders are in touch with me. My links with the party central leadership is a closed chapter. I am now busy with working on building my new party”, the former chief minister said.