Is it time's up for Yeddyurappa; BJP looking for successor?

New Delhi, Jul 25: With the pressure mounting on Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa after being named in the Lokayukta report for his involvement in the illegal mining scam, the BJP is trying hard to salvage the situation in order to avoid a political showdown in the state. Reports have emerged that BJP has indicated Yeddyurappa to step down.

The Karnataka CM returned to Mumbai on Monday morning after a vacation in Mauritius and is expected to be in Bangalore this evening. He has been quoted as saying to media sources that there was no question of him stepping down. With the Congress raising the ante against Yeddyurappa, he seem to be cornered and has no hope in sight to continue in the CM's post.

With the BJP backing the scam-tainted CM, for all this while, they are re-thinking their strategies after the Lokayukta report busted the CM and other ministers in the cabinet for their role in the mining scam. BJP President Nitin Gadkari is understood to have passed a message to Yeddyurappa that it was “now time for him to relinquish the CM"s post".

The voices within the party is also urging the CM to step down including senior leaders LK Advani and Arun Jaitley who wants him to quit to avoid further embarrassment. There is also the fear that the issue will be used against the BJP in the Parliament's monsoon session where they intend to raise the case of rampant corruption during the UPA regime. They fear that they will loose the moral edge if Yeddy continues to hold office.

With the political situation uncertain in the state, senior Karnataka BJP leader Ananth Kumar is keen to grab the top post and is being portrayed as the next choice. With Yeddyurappa knocking the doors of the RSS for support that has so far yielded no results, the stage is just right for Yeddyurappa's ouster.

OneIndia News