The BJP has found a new candidate to head the party in the state. In a two-hour meeting at chief minister BS Yeddyurappa’s residence on Wednesday, senior BJP leaders unanimously picked power minister KS Eshwarappa to be the next Karnataka BJP chief. The formal election will be held on January 30.
Dharwad member of Parliament (MP) Prahlad Joshi, former Mysore MP Vijayshankar, higher education minister Aravind Limbavali, and party spokesperson CT Ravi were also considered for the post.
But senior members of the party’s core committee, including Yeddyurappa, BJP national general secretary Ananth Kumar, minister Jagadeesh Shettar, and RSS leader Santosh, zeroed in on Eshwarappa.
Speaking to reporters later, Ananth Kumar said the formal election will be held on January 30. BJP national president Nitin Gadkari will be present during the election. “We will make an official announcement about the new state BJP head on the same day,” he said.
The meeting discussed many other issues, too, sources said. The party decided to call a meeting of the coordination committee on January 24 to discuss a cabinet reshuffle and nominate members to the legislative council, among other things, they said.
The re-induction of former minister Shobha Karandlaje into the cabinet also came up for discussion, but no decision was taken, sources said.
The meeting also discussed nominations to three MLC posts, but a decision was deferred due to difference of opinion among the leaders on the probable candidates. Former minister V Sommanna, RSS leader Krishna Bhat, actor Jaggesh, and former faculty member of Bangalore University Mylarappa were proposed for the posts.
Outgoing BJP state head DV Sadananda Gowda and CT Ravi are likely to be elevated and given more responsibilities with an aim of strengthening the party base. They may be asked to concentrate on the Vokkaliga community vote bank, sources said.
