Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa finally buckled under pressure from the BJP leadership, tendering his resignation to party president Nitin Gadkari on Thursday evening, 24 hours after a meeting with top party figures in New Delhi ended in acrimony.
Sources close to the chief minister said, however, that the offer to resign, followed by the caveat that he would resign only on July 31, was no more than a ploy to buy time as he continued to attempt to drum up support to stay on in the party hierarchy in some capacity, either as state party chief or entrusted with overseeing polls in the future.
Mr Yeddyurappa had insisted during his meeting with the party leadership that his track record in winning back-to-back elections should also be taken into consideration.
Mr Yeddyurappa has pushed for his nominee D.V. Sadananda Gowda, a party MP, to succeed him. Sources said the party’s central leaders had said overnight that there would be no negotiations unless he resigns as chief minister.
After Mr Yeddyurappa returned to Bengaluru early on Thursday, he remained closeted with trusted ministers and MLAs at his residence, personally telephoning the legislators whom he had invited to his house. As the day progressed, a number of his close supporters arrived in a show of force, even as he dispatched emissaries like water resources minister Basavaraj Bommai to parley with the Reddy brothers and power minister Shobha Karandlaje as well as former home minister V.S. Acharya to talk to the party to ensure that he gets an honourable exit.
The chief minister, who continues to command the support of a sizeable chunk of party legislators amid growing speculation that the move to ask for a sign of loyalty from his fellow legislators was the first move towards splitting the party and going it alone, saw some fence-sitters like Revu Naik Belamagi also turn up for his closed-door meetings. The core of his support, however, remained the Lingayats. Around 23 MLAs from North Karnataka, and 10 ministers, arrived at the CM’s Race Course residence. By late evening that number had swelled to 40, sources close to the CM claimed.
However, the party’s central leadership remained unmoved by the numbers game. After the day-long meeting, industries minister Murugesh Nirani, one of Mr Yeddyurappa’s trusted lieutenants, emerged from the chief minister’s residence and announced late in the evening that the CM had the support of two-thirds of the MLAs but would step down anyway.
“The chief minister’s support is intact. However, he has agreed to honour the party’s direction. All of us will attend tomorrow’s (Friday) legislature party meeting,” Mr Nirani announced, ending the speculation that Mr Yeddyurappa may revolt. He, however, was not explicit on the timing of the chief minister’s resignation.
Sources said after the day-long behind-the-scenes parleys, Mr Yeddyurappa had seriously considering dissolving the Assembly earlier in the day, but finally changed his mind. The sources said he may hand over the resignation letter by Saturday or Sunday when the deeply superstitious chief minister feels his “unlucky” period will be over.