No change of guard in Karnataka: BJP

BJP on Monday indicated there will be no change of guard in Karnataka and BS Yeddyurappa will have to wait till he is cleared of the charges against him before the party can consider him again for chief ministership.

BJP on Monday indicated there will be no change of guard in Karnataka and BS Yeddyurappa will have to wait till he is cleared of the charges against him before the party can consider him again for chief ministership.

Asked if the decision to continue with Sadananda Gowda as chief minister, as pointed out by party president Nitin Gadkari, is a temporary solution, BJP spokesperson Jagat Prakash Nadda replied in the negative.

"There is no dichotomy. BJP was clear from the very beginning. Yeddyurappa is our respected leader. But at the same time, it was said that if any organisation names him, he will have to step down. That he has done," Nadda said.

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Yeddyurappa had to step down around six months ago when the Karnataka Lokayukta indicted him in an illegal mining case. He had given a deadline till today to the party top brass to reinstate him as chief minister. Gadkari held a meeting with Yeddyurappa last week and then publicly said that Gowda would continue as CM.

"So long as he (Yeddyurappa) is not exonerated, this situation is going to continue and that remains as it is," Nadda said.

Before the Lokayukta report came out, Gadkari had said if Yeddyurappa is indicted he will have to step down. The party had prevailed on the powerful Lingayat community leader to quit when this happened.