Team Mangalorean - New Delhi
from Ravi Kanvatirtha

New Delhi: BJP national president Nitin Gadkari addressed a media meet here on Sunday, July 8 morning and announced that the resignation of Karnataka chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda had been accepted.

He said that a change was inevitable in view of the forthcoming elections but failed to give any convincing reason for the change. On the contrary, he said that the high command was happy with the 11-month governance by Gowda and that he had also served his tenure as the state president well.

These two statements appeared to be contradicting each other. On Saturday, Gowda met Gadkari and other senior leaders Advani and Sushma Swaraj. During his meeting, his chances of being made the state party president again are said to have emerged brighter. The high command too would like to rein in the Yeddyurappa faction by keeping Gowda in charge.

DVS has suggested the name Eshwarappa as an alternative for the party head's post in the state. It may be recalled here that Eshwarappa and DVS have remained united in the recent past. However, the Yeddyurappa camp may not like this idea.

DVS is also understood to have demanded that since he was relinquishing the post in favour of the BSY camp, prominent and influential portfolios in the new government should to allotted to his supporters. Those who stood by him (Gowda) in the recent past should not be harassed, shunned, shunted or dumped, he has reportedly insisted. When taking any decisions of import, his supporters should not be ignored, he has said.

In another clever move, DVS has put forth two suggestions, which the high command can afford to neither dismiss nor ignore. One, those elected MLAs more than two or three times should be given an opportunity to serve as ministers. Two, those who affected the image of the party by their recent activities should be put in charge of organization rather than being accommodated in the cabinet.  This is regarded as a master-stroke and a sign that DVS has matured in political strategy.

Jagadish Shettar is likely to be sworn in as chief minister on Monday, July 9. Other ministers may be inducted during the following days. With a view to ensure smooth handover of leadership and to broker peace between the warring factions, senior leaders Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley are being deputed to fly to Bangalore on Monday.

These two leaders are also expected to settle the issue of the deputy chief minister, which could go to Eshwarappa. The Vokkaliga lobby would like to have home and transport minister R Ashoka as Dy CM. However, the high command has felt that since already holds two powerful portfolios, he should not be expecting more. Now another aspirant - Govind Karjol - has also enlisted himself as an aspirant for the Dy CM's post.

Shettar is Karnataka's new chief minister

New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari Sunday formally announced Jagadish Shettar as the new chief minister of Karnataka, replacing D.V. Sadananda Gowda.

"According to the present situation in Karnataka, he (Gowda) has told me that he is resigning from the chief minister's post," Gadkari told an army of journalists outside his residence here.

"Keeping in mind the future of Karnataka, we have decided to give the leadership to Jagdish Shettar," he added.

Gowda, who came to New Delhi Saturday evening amid turmoil in the Karnataka BJP, met party leaders L.K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar at Advani's residence.

He met Gadkari Sunday morning.

"Sadanandji has done an excellent work, there are no complains of corruption or any other complaint against him," the party president said.

"As a good party worker, he handed me his resignation for the party's benefit. We have accepted his resignation," he said.

Gadkari said party leaders Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh will go to Bangalore Monday and will have discussions with the BJP leadership there.

"There will also be a meeting of MLAs, and after that Sadanandji and Shettarji will meet the governor," Gadkari said.

Gowda's exit follows a sustained campaign by his predecessor, B.S. Yeddyurappa, the party's first chief minister in south India who wanted to see the back of Gowda.

Shettar is presently the rural development minister of Karnataka.

Gowda resigns, Shettar to be new Karnataka CM

New Delhi (PTI): Ending the political impasse in Karnataka, BJP today announced that Chief Minister Sadanand Gowda has submitted his resignation to the party and will be replaced by B S Yeddyurappa's loyalist Jagadish Shettar.

The BJP high command bowed to Lingayat leader Yeddyurappa in view of the Assembly elections due early next year and agreed to replace 59-year-old Gowda, a Vokkaliga leader, with Rural Development Minister Shettar, 56, who is a Lingayat.

"In view of the current political situation in Karnataka, Sadanand Gowda has handed over his resignation to me. In his tenure, he did work and the performance of our government was very good.

"There were no complaints against him on grounds of corruption but keeping the party's interest in mind, as a good party worker, he has resigned in the interest of the organisation," BJP President Nitin Gadkari told reporters here.

He also announced that he has accepted Gowda's resignation on behalf of the party.
"Our party has decided to hand over the leadership to Jagadish Shettar," Gadkari said.
Senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley will go to Bengaluru tomorrow to oversee the formal election of Shettar as Chief Minister of Karnataka by the party MLAs.
Asked if Deputy Chief Ministers would also be appointed by the party as was reported earlier, Gadkari said no such decision has been taken on this issue.

With the Assembly elections just 10 months away, the BJP central leadership realised that to put up a "good show", it will have to fight under the leadership of Yeddyurappa, whom many see as the undisputed leader of the Lingayat community which has always voted for the party, BJP sources said.