Karnataka: BJP summons BSY to Delhi amid delay over election of Opposition leader

Senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa on Sunday (July 2) left for New Delhi after he was summoned by the party’s top leadership amid a delay in electing the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

Though the BJP stalwart, who is also on the BJP parliamentary board, expressed ignorance over the reason for the call, party sources said that he has been summoned to decide on the candidates for the posts of Leader of Opposition and state chief.

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“BJP National president JP Nadda has summoned me to New Delhi. I don’t know what the subject is,” Yediyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru.

“I will go there, talk to him and if possible, I will return by tonight because a massive protest by thousands has been planned for day-after-tomorrow. So, I will try to return by tonight or tomorrow morning,” he said.

Asked whether he has been called to Delhi to discuss the appointment of Leader of Opposition, Yediyurappa said that he was not aware.

“After talking to him, I will get to know what is running in his mind. I don’t have any clue why he has summoned me,” the former chief minister said.

To a query about the lobbying in the party for the two top posts, Yediyurappa said that only the national leaders would take a call on such matters. “Many people demand many things… Our national leaders will decide. Since he (Nadda) has called me, I will go there and talk to him,” he added.

Regarding the BJP’s agitation on July 3, Yediyurappa said that a massive protest is on the cards against the ruling Congress for its “failure” to fulfill its election promises. “It has been decided to protest the failure of the state government. Thousands of people will participate. I will also take part in it,” he said.

With just one day left for the budget session of the assembly to start, the BJP is yet to finalise who will lead the party in the assembly as the Leader of Opposition. There is a stiff contest in the saffron party for these two prime posts. There are many frontrunners for the role of opposition leader, sources in the BJP said.

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Among them are former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, former ministers Araga Jnanendra, R Ashoka and Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal.

Recently, former minister V Somanna had expressed his desire to become the BJP state president. The incumbent Nalin Kumar Kateel said that although his term got over a year ago, he was continuing in the post due to the assembly elections. Now, the decision on his replacement would be made by the party high command, he said.

According to sources, the BJP legislative party meeting to elect their leader, which was scheduled for today, has been cancelled. “Today there is no meeting of the BJP legislative party. We expect that the Leader of Opposition will be decided by tomorrow (Monday) afternoon,” a senior BJP leader said.

Meanwhile, the Congress mocked the BJP’s indecisiveness to finalise the Leader of Opposition.

In a tweet on Saturday, the party posted a picture of a chair with a caption which read, “Advertisement – Urgently needed. A suitable person for the vacant post of leader of opposition of Karnataka assembly is required.”

(With agency inputs)