BJP asks Yeddyurappa to quit by evening: Reports

Already 'forced' to resign, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders tightened the noose around Karnataka chief ministter BS Yeddyurappa asking him to quit by this evening, media reports said. The party also ruled out allowing scam-hit Yeddyurappa to pick his successor, even as it continued efforts to make him quit without conditions.

Already 'forced' to resign, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders tightened the noose around Karnataka chief ministter BS Yeddyurappa asking him to quit by Saturday evening, media reports said.

The BJP also ruled out allowing scam-hit the Karnataka chief minister to pick his successor, even as it continued efforts to make him quit without conditions.

"The new chief minister will be decided based on the opinion of all legislators," state home minister R Ashoka told reporters after a meeting of senior state party leaders.

To help elect a new leader of the legislature party, central observers Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley met Yeddyurappa on Saturday morning, their second meeting in two days.

Yeddyurappa reportedly told them he would resign on Sunday, but his supporters were against it.

Legislators and ministers supporting Yeddyurappa, however, appeared to change their tack on Saturday.

"We are against Yeddyurappa's resignation. However, we will abide by his decision," excise minister MP Renukacharya and assembly member Belur Gopalakrishna told reporters.

On Friday, their assertion was "no question of Yeddyurappa resigning".

However, the supporters continued to demand that Yeddyurappa be allowed to name his successor as well as new ministers and be made state party chief.

"Yeddyurappa met our central leaders Saturday morning. He said he would resign on July 31. He would do so," Eshwarappa told reporters.

He also maintained that Yeddyurappa had not placed any condition for resigning.

(with IANS inputs)