BANGALORE: If all goes well for the BJP, the next legislature session scheduled in January-February could well see the party changing its official status to principal opposition party in the assembly — thanks to former CM BS Yeddyurappa.
Yeddyurappa, who was largely responsible for decimating the BJP in Karnataka and relegating it to third position, could change equations. His re-entry will push the party’s numerical strength from 40 to 46. This will be the first cosmetic change for the BJP in Karnataka, which is now gearing for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP in Karnataka needs Yeddyurappa as much as the former CM is raring to go back to his party of 40 years’ standing. The BJP had dropped him and obtained his resignation as CM after he was indicted in the Karnataka Lokayukta report on illegal mining.
According to BJP sources, all hurdles for the entry of the 71-year-old Lingayat strongman have been cleared, except for party patriarch LK Advani, who is reportedly still not willing to take him back. And for this reason alone, BJP national president Rajnath Singh delayed Yeddyurappa’s readmission by a couple of days, which was expected this weekend.
“Advani was not willing to anoint Gujarat CM Narendra Modi as prime ministerial candidate. He had to ultimately give in. The results of the four state assemblies show the party was right in making that decision,” sources said.
Advani’s confidante and MP HN Ananth Kumar, who stoutly opposed his bete noire’s return, is also said to be reconciled. On Saturday, he told reporters he was “willing to extend all cooperation” to Yeddyurappa.
BJP state president Prahlad Joshi, identified with Kumar’s camp, is also said to have fallen in line. Corruption charges and legal cases against Yeddyurappa, which were cited all these days, are no longer relevant for the BJP.
In New Delhi last week to discuss the Yeddyurappa issue, Joshi said: “The courts haven’t held Yeddyurappa guilty. We took his resignation as CM on moral grounds. The cases don’t matter for him to work as party member or leader.”
The BJP is aware that without Yeddyurappa, the party cannot win the goodwill of the community he represents, which constitutes 17% of Karnataka’s population and is the deciding factor in at least 100 of the 224 assembly constituencies.
Although the BJP won 19 seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections (lost one in bypoll), the party could find it difficult to repeat the feat in 2014 if Yeddyurappa’s KJP exists. With the exception of three seats in Bangalore, almost all the Lok Sabha seats now held by the BJP are in North Karnataka.
Splitsville effect
Quitting the BJP and launching the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) on December 9, 2012, Yeddyurappa reduced his erstwhile party’s tally from 110 in 2008 to just 40 seats. He spoilt the BJP’s prospects in 29 constituencies, mostly in Lingayat-dominated North Karnataka.
“I’ve shown my strength. I’ve made BJP realize what it is without me,” he had said after the results were declared. Though KJP secured just six seats, it finished second in 36 constituencies and secured 30.68 lakh votes (9.83%).
In the May election, of the 3.12 crore votes polled, Congress garnered 1.14 crore votes (36.55%), JD(S) got 62.69 lakh votes (20.09%) followed by BJP with 62.32 lakh votes (19.97%).
‘Only a matter of time ‘
BS Yeddyurappa’s return to the BJP is imminent and a formal announcement is expected soon, state president Prahlad Joshi said on Sunday. He said the party state unit had already conveyed to the party leadership that Yeddyurappa should be brought back to the party without delay, and was waiting for the formal announcement.
“KS Eshwarappa is mediating with Yeddyurappa,” he said.
