Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), a little-known regional party in the state, has decided to make former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa its new president in November. Thirty-odd officebearers of the party have decided to meet on November 9 to elect Yeddyurappa to the post.
The founder of the party, Padmanabha Prasanna Kumar, said on Wednesday that Yeddyurappa joining the party and leading it in the forthcoming assembly elections is certain.
KJP was recognised by the Election Commission on April 28, 2011. The forthcoming assembly elections will be the party’s first elections. It has plans to field candidates in all the assembly constituencies.
“I am very happy that he (Yeddyurappa) is going to lead our party in the coming elections. He is not happy with the BJP and its leaders. He was forced to step down from the post of chief minister just because there were some allegations. As the chief minister, he had taken up many pro-development initiatives,” Prasanna Kumar said.
He said that Yeddyurappa and KJP officebearers have already held several rounds of meetings. On Wednesday, they held a crucial meeting at Yeddyurappa’s residence in Dollars Colony.
“We met him on Wednesday. We are now 100% certain that he is going to lead our party in the coming elections. During the talks on Wednesday we received a favourable response from him,”said Kumar.
The meeting was attended by, among others, former Union minister Dhananjay Kumar, Lakshimnaryana and other close associates of Yeddyurappa. Kumar said the party has around 1,000 workers in the state, and they will go on a membership drive once Yeddyurappa joins the party.
The KJP has written to the Election Commission asking for the cycle as the symbol the party.
