Karnataka crisis: BJP MLAs are expected to arrive in Delhi

 Amid deepening political crisis in Karnataka, at least 60 BJP MLAs are expected to arrive in the national capital on Monday to meet the party high command demanding the reinstatement of BS Yeddyurappa as chief minister.

According to reports, the Yeddyurappa loyalists led by senior leader GS Basavaraj, will submit a memorandum to BJP President Nitin Gadkari seeking a legislature party meeting where Yeddyurappa would be elected as their leader and consequently be made the new chief minister.

In a bid to keep the group of BJP MLAs supporting Yeddyurappa intact, they are currently camping at a resort in the outskirts of Bangalore. This has been done to ensure that no BJP MLA is influenced by incumbent Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda or his close associates.

Meanwhile, 10 BJP MPs have also threatened to resign in support Yeddyurappa, if the party fails to put him back in the chief minister's chair.

Ruling BJP in Karnataka plunged into a political crisis after Yeddyurappa intensified his power struggle by claiming support of over half of party MLAs and demanded that the central leadership convene a legislature party meet within 48 hours.

The BJP has a strength of 120 legislators, including the Speaker, in the 224-member Assembly.

The BJP Karnataka strongman, who is keen on presenting the budget himself, has set the new deadline hoping to regain the lost chair, even as the state unit party president KS Eswarappa firmly ruled out change of guard.

The BJP high command has instead asked Yeddyurappa to clear himself of the various charges of corruption pending against him in courts before staking his claim for the chief minister’s post.

Yeddyurappa was forced to step down as chief minister in July 2011 after he was indicted in the Karnataka Lokayukta's report on illegal mining.

Amid the crisis, Chief Minister Gowda celebrated his 59th birthday on a low key and declared he would present the budget. Gowda, who called on Siddganga Mutt seer Shivakumara Swamy at Tumkur to seek his blessings on his birthday, however, ducked a query on the leadership change demand by Yeddyurappa faction, remarking "it will be decided by central leadership".

Karnataka BJP BS Yeddyurappa’s deadline to BJP ends today

With Karnataka BJP strongman BS Yeddyurappa remaining defiant after being rebuffed by BJP chief Nitin Gadkari in his bid to regain chief ministership, all eyes are on the former chief minister's birthday bash Monday as he is expected to take a "drastic" decision whether to continue in the party or not.

Yeddyurappa turns 69 today and has extended invitation to all his supporting legislators to attend a lunch hosted by him at his residence. He also has hosted a dinner party to mediapersons where he is expected to divulge his next political step.

Yeddyurappa will be visiting Siddaganga Mutt pontiff Shivakumar Swamy in Tumkur in the morning and offer worship at a nearby temple.

After attending a function orgainsed by Backward Class Forum near Railway Station, Yeddyurappa would head to his residence to hold a meeting with his supporters including legislators and MPs, sources close to him said.

Some BJP leaders are expecting Yeddyurappa to bid adieu to the BJP which he had built in the state over the years. Yet another section expects Yeddyurappa to wait for the outcome of March 3 core Committee meeting convened by BJP President Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi. The former Chief Minister has already said he and his followers would not attend the meeting.

Instead of attending the Delhi meeting, Yeddyurappa had said he would discuss the issues with his supporters on February 27 and thereafter convey the decision to the central leadership.  

BJP sources told that Yeddyurappa has to await acquittal in various cases against him before he can be considered for chief ministership or state party presidentship.

UP polls: Rahul, BJP President Gadkari head to Kanpur

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi who has been campaigning hard for the 2012 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls is scheduled to hold a rally in Kanpur on today.

The Congress MP will have a busy day as roadshow and various meetings are included in his schedule.

Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said, "Rahul Gandhi's campaign programme in Kanpur is confirmed. He will takeout a roadshow in support of the party candidates."

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari will also be seen today in Kanpur where he is scheduled to address people in support of his party candidates.

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav will be campaigning in Auraiya district in Uttar Pradesh today.

Kanpur will go to polls on February 23, the fifth phase of voting in Uttar Pradesh.

Nitin Gadkari: Modi has good potential to be Prime Minister

BJP President Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has got the potential to become the Prime Minister and that he is among the "five to six" contenders in the party for the country's top post.

Gadkari said he has already made it clear that the BJP has got a lot of potential leadership who is capable of becoming the Prime Minister after the next General elections due in 2014.

"Now, Modi is also one of the leaders, he has also got the potential for that. There are five to six leaders, and at the right time the party will decide who will be the prime ministerial candidate for 2014," he said.

Gadkari emphatically said "100 per cent" when asked whether the five to six leaders included Modi.

"Those five to six leaders also include Narendra bhai," he said.

Gadkari's statement came a day after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) gave its final report on Gulberg Society attack during the 2002 Gujarat riots before a Ahmedabad court amid speculation that Modi may have got relief after he faced allegations of aiding and abetting communal clashes.

He remained non-committal on why Modi was not campaigning for the party in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh elections.

"Modi is the best person to answer why he had not joined the party's election campaign in Uttar Pradesh," he said.

Modi is reportedly sore with the BJP leadership for making one of his rivals Sanjay Joshi as one of the election in-charges in Uttar Pradesh.

"First of all, from the national party we have already made a request to Narendraji that he should give some time to Uttar Pradesh and other states for elections.

"Now, he has to find out the dates for that. The matter is with him, he has to decide about it," Gadkari said.

"But I accept that Narendra bhai is a stalwart, a leader of the party and still we are expecting dates from him and if he will give his dates, we will manage".