Groups of the party held separate meetings in Bangalore to chalk out their action hours after BJP parliamentary board decided in Delhi that Yeddyurappa must quit.
Around 25 legislators, including ministers, considered strong Yeddyurappa backers, met at his residence in Bangalore to discuss the next steps, party sources said.
Senior party leaders said while the Parliamentary Board was unanimous in its decision that Yeddyurappa's continuance in office had become untenable as it was denting BJP's fight against corruption, the party would not like to unruffle him further by selecting a leader without seeking his consent.
"Yeddyurappa has served the party for 40 years and contributed immensely to building it in Karnataka. Just because he is facing these charges does not mean he should be dumped completely," a senior party leader said.
The outgoing chief minister's hold over the Lingayat community, which overwhelmingly supports the BJP, is another factor weighing on the minds of the Central leadership as Yeddyurappa arguably has a mass following among them.
The names doing the rounds areSadanand Gowda, BJP MP from Udupi Chikmagalur and former state unit president; V S Acharya, Higher Education Minister; Suresh Kumar S, Law and Justice Minister, among others.
A dark horse, acceptable to all and one who would not become too ambitious and difficult to handle, may also be considered by both the Central leadership and Yeddyurappa.
Sources said since Yeddyurappa is strongly opposed to party national general secretary and MP Ananth Kumar, the latter is ruled out.
Yeddyurappa has also ruled out Jagdish Shettar, another Lingayat leader and Rural Development and Panchayat minister in his cabinet, as he may become another power centre in the community.
The Chief Minister's close associate Shoba Karandlaje is also not in the race as he feels once she takes over the post, he would never be able to make a comeback.
"Karandlaje is a popular Vokkaliga leader who is also considered the most competent minister in the cabinet. She is close to the RSS too. Yeddyurappa had said in a recent meeting with his supporters that he does not want to become another Uma Bharti," a party leader close to the chief minister said.
BJP's Karnataka unit president K S Eshwarappa, a prominent leader from the Kuruba community, and R Ashok, Home Minister in Yeddyurappa cabinet and a Vokkaliga leader, are also among the front runners for the Chief Minister's post.
Karnataka CM B S Yeddyurappa to be consulted while choosing successor
With B S Yeddyurappa set to step down as Karnataka Chief Minister, the race for choosing his successor has begun in theBJP amid indications that the Lingayat leader's views would be kept in mind during the exercise as the party does not want a rebellion.
Senior party leaders said while the Parliamentary Board was unanimous in its decision that Yeddyurappa's continuance in office had become untenable as it was denting BJP's fight against corruption, the party would not like to unruffle him further by selecting a leader without seeking his consent.
"Yeddyurappa has served the party for 40 years and contributed immensely to building it in Karnataka. Just because he is facing these charges does not mean he should be dumped completely," a senior party leader said.
The outgoing chief minister's hold over the Lingayat community, which overwhelmingly supports the BJP, is another factor weighing on the minds of the Central leadership as Yeddyurappa arguably has a mass following among them.
The names doing the rounds are Sadanand Gowda, BJP MP from Udupi Chikmagalur and former state unit president; V S Acharya, Higher Education Minister; Suresh Kumar S, Law and Justice Minister, among others.
A dark horse, acceptable to all and one who would not become too ambitious and difficult to handle, may also be considered by both the Central leadership and Yeddyurappa.
Sources said since Yeddyurappa is strongly opposed to party national general secretary and MP Ananth Kumar, the latter is ruled out.
Yeddyurappa has also ruled out Jagdish Shettar, anotherLingayat leader and Rural Development and Panchayat minister in his cabinet, as he may become another power centre in the community.
The Chief Minister's close associate Shoba Karandlaje is also not in the race as he feels once she takes over the post, he would never be able to make a comeback.
"Karandlaje is a popular Vokkaliga leader who is also considered the most competent minister in the cabinet. She is close to the RSS too. Yeddyurappa had said in a recent meeting with his supporters that he does not want to become another Uma Bharti," a party leader close to the chief minister said.
After being asked to step down from the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister's chair, Bharti appointed her close associate Babulal Gaur to the post only to find later that she was out of the reckoning for good.
BJP's Karnataka unit president K S Eshwarappa, a prominent leader from the Kuruba community, and R Ashok, Home Minister in Yeddyurappa cabinet and a Vokkaliga leader, are also among the front runners for the Chief Minister's post.
Senior party leaders said while the Parliamentary Board was unanimous in its decision that Yeddyurappa's continuance in office had become untenable as it was denting BJP's fight against corruption, the party would not like to unruffle him further by selecting a leader without seeking his consent.
"Yeddyurappa has served the party for 40 years and contributed immensely to building it in Karnataka. Just because he is facing these charges does not mean he should be dumped completely," a senior party leader said.
The outgoing chief minister's hold over the Lingayat community, which overwhelmingly supports the BJP, is another factor weighing on the minds of the Central leadership as Yeddyurappa arguably has a mass following among them.
The names doing the rounds are Sadanand Gowda, BJP MP from Udupi Chikmagalur and former state unit president; V S Acharya, Higher Education Minister; Suresh Kumar S, Law and Justice Minister, among others.
A dark horse, acceptable to all and one who would not become too ambitious and difficult to handle, may also be considered by both the Central leadership and Yeddyurappa.
Sources said since Yeddyurappa is strongly opposed to party national general secretary and MP Ananth Kumar, the latter is ruled out.
Yeddyurappa has also ruled out Jagdish Shettar, anotherLingayat leader and Rural Development and Panchayat minister in his cabinet, as he may become another power centre in the community.
The Chief Minister's close associate Shoba Karandlaje is also not in the race as he feels once she takes over the post, he would never be able to make a comeback.
"Karandlaje is a popular Vokkaliga leader who is also considered the most competent minister in the cabinet. She is close to the RSS too. Yeddyurappa had said in a recent meeting with his supporters that he does not want to become another Uma Bharti," a party leader close to the chief minister said.
After being asked to step down from the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister's chair, Bharti appointed her close associate Babulal Gaur to the post only to find later that she was out of the reckoning for good.
BJP's Karnataka unit president K S Eshwarappa, a prominent leader from the Kuruba community, and R Ashok, Home Minister in Yeddyurappa cabinet and a Vokkaliga leader, are also among the front runners for the Chief Minister's post.
Yeddyurappa's family paid off by mining mafia: Lokayukta
BANGALORE: In a stunning finding that could blunt the BJP's attack onCongress on corruption,Karnataka LokayuktaJustice Santosh Hegde has said chief minister B S Yeddyurappa's family got illegal payoffs from a mining company to hasten clearance of pending applications. Not just this, he has recommended criminal proceedings againstYeddyurappa and some of his ministers.
Justice Hegde's second report, released on Wednesday, pegs losses suffered by the state exchequer due to illegal mining over four years (2006-2010) at Rs 16,085 crore and recommends that the amount be recovered from those who caused it - politicians, officials and companies. The report also seeks criminal action against three ministers - G Janardhana Reddy, G Karunakara Reddy and B Sriramulu.
It says the South West Mining Company bought one acre of land at Rachenahalli in Bangalore. For this, it allegedly paid Rs 20 crore to the CM's sons,B Y Raghavendra and B Y Vijayendra and son-in-law R N Sohan Kumar. It also paid Rs 10 crore to Prerana Education Society, run by the CM's family.
"The guidance value at Rachenahalli was Rs 1 crore," the report says. "At best, it could have fetched Rs 1.25 crore or Rs 1.4 crore. But the company paid an abnormally high price... The same company, which was not financially stable, borrowed money and donated to the trust unconnected to it. I find it...difficult to understand how a company borrowed and donated when it didn't have money."
"The applications of South West Mining Company and two associated companies were pending with the state government. These money transactions had been done to process the application and send to the Centre for approval. It's an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act," it says.
Submitting his 25,228-page report on illegal mining in the state to governor HR Bhardwaj and chief secretary S V Ranganath on Wednesday, the Lokayukta said he had recommended prosecution against the CM and the ministers in accordance with the Prevention of Corruption Act, Indian Penal Code, the Forest Act and Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.
Among others, the report recommends action against housing minister V Somanna's family, former CMH D Kumaraswamy, MLA B Nagendra and Rajya Sabha member Anil Lad's wife. The report also deals with evasion of royalty, overloading of trucks, connivance of people in power and loss to the state exchequer. It seeks action against more than 100 companies and 787 officials.
"The inquiry found there's large-scale involvement of officials, powerful people, both in the administration and at the ground level. I sincerely hope the government will take some sort of action against those named in the report and recover the losses caused by them," Justice Hegde said. Giving details of illegalities committed by the mining companies, the report recommends that their leases be cancelled and losses be recovered from them. The losses should be calculated at market rates or four times that.
The report has a separate chapter titled the "Republic of Bellary", detailing illegalities in the Reddys' home district. "The Reddys always claimed they were not into any illegal mining in Karnataka. On the contrary, we have given enough documents to prove their involvement," Justice Hegde said. Dealing with former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, the Lokayukta says he gave licences to two mining companies -Jantkal Enterprises and Sai Venkateshwara Minerals Pvt Ltd -at Sandur in Bellary district violating rules. He said there was no evidence of Kumaraswamy having accepted any favours from these companies. The Lokayukta wasn't too hopeful of positive action from the government: "Unfortunately, no action worth the name has been taken with respect to my report submitted in 2008. Now, I have one hope that the Supreme Court is monitoring mining in Karnataka. I hope it takes cognizance."
He'll send a copy of the report if the Supreme Court asks for it. "Else, the Central Empowered Committee may take it or some individuals may take it and file it before the court," Hegde said.
Justice Hegde's second report, released on Wednesday, pegs losses suffered by the state exchequer due to illegal mining over four years (2006-2010) at Rs 16,085 crore and recommends that the amount be recovered from those who caused it - politicians, officials and companies. The report also seeks criminal action against three ministers - G Janardhana Reddy, G Karunakara Reddy and B Sriramulu.
It says the South West Mining Company bought one acre of land at Rachenahalli in Bangalore. For this, it allegedly paid Rs 20 crore to the CM's sons,B Y Raghavendra and B Y Vijayendra and son-in-law R N Sohan Kumar. It also paid Rs 10 crore to Prerana Education Society, run by the CM's family.
"The guidance value at Rachenahalli was Rs 1 crore," the report says. "At best, it could have fetched Rs 1.25 crore or Rs 1.4 crore. But the company paid an abnormally high price... The same company, which was not financially stable, borrowed money and donated to the trust unconnected to it. I find it...difficult to understand how a company borrowed and donated when it didn't have money."
"The applications of South West Mining Company and two associated companies were pending with the state government. These money transactions had been done to process the application and send to the Centre for approval. It's an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act," it says.
Submitting his 25,228-page report on illegal mining in the state to governor HR Bhardwaj and chief secretary S V Ranganath on Wednesday, the Lokayukta said he had recommended prosecution against the CM and the ministers in accordance with the Prevention of Corruption Act, Indian Penal Code, the Forest Act and Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.
Among others, the report recommends action against housing minister V Somanna's family, former CMH D Kumaraswamy, MLA B Nagendra and Rajya Sabha member Anil Lad's wife. The report also deals with evasion of royalty, overloading of trucks, connivance of people in power and loss to the state exchequer. It seeks action against more than 100 companies and 787 officials.
"The inquiry found there's large-scale involvement of officials, powerful people, both in the administration and at the ground level. I sincerely hope the government will take some sort of action against those named in the report and recover the losses caused by them," Justice Hegde said. Giving details of illegalities committed by the mining companies, the report recommends that their leases be cancelled and losses be recovered from them. The losses should be calculated at market rates or four times that.
The report has a separate chapter titled the "Republic of Bellary", detailing illegalities in the Reddys' home district. "The Reddys always claimed they were not into any illegal mining in Karnataka. On the contrary, we have given enough documents to prove their involvement," Justice Hegde said. Dealing with former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, the Lokayukta says he gave licences to two mining companies -Jantkal Enterprises and Sai Venkateshwara Minerals Pvt Ltd -at Sandur in Bellary district violating rules. He said there was no evidence of Kumaraswamy having accepted any favours from these companies. The Lokayukta wasn't too hopeful of positive action from the government: "Unfortunately, no action worth the name has been taken with respect to my report submitted in 2008. Now, I have one hope that the Supreme Court is monitoring mining in Karnataka. I hope it takes cognizance."
He'll send a copy of the report if the Supreme Court asks for it. "Else, the Central Empowered Committee may take it or some individuals may take it and file it before the court," Hegde said.
RELATED ARTICLES
- Lokayukta recommends prosecution of Karnataka CM Yeddyurappa
- Will submit report on illegal mining on Wednesday: Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde
- Mining scam: Karnataka Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde pins hope on SC, BJP divided over B S Yedd...
- Will go by Lokayukta on illegal mining: Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj
- BS Yeddyurappa, Reddy brothers mining money: Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh N Hegde
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Karnataka CM Yeddyurappa agrees to quit
Click to play videoBangalore: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa sent his resignation to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari on Thursday evening, just a few hours after the party's Parliamentary Board asked him to step down following his indictment in the illegal mining case by Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde.
In his resignation letter Yeddyurappa told Gadkari that his future in the state must be protected.
However, officially a chief minister must send his resignation to the governor of the state. So Yeddyurappa should have sent his resignation letter to Governor HR Bhardwaj.
The BJP state leaders and MLAs will meet on Friday to elect a new chief minister. Senior BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh will be in Bangalore to supervise the selection of the new chief minister.
BJP Parliamentary Board met in New Delhi on Thursday and unanimously decided that Yeddyurappa must put in his papers. Karnataka leaders also said that they would follow the decision taken by the top leadership.
Several senior Karnataka BJP leader are in the race to replace Yeddyurappa. The leaders in the race include Ananth Kumar, Jagdish Shettar and KS Eshwarappa.
Jagdish Shettar, who is the Rural Development Minister is a front-runner for the post. An MLA from Hubli, Shettar is a Lingayat by caste. He was the leader of Opposition in 1999 when SM Krishna was the chief minister of Karnataka.
Karnataka state BJP chief KS Eshwarappa is also a strong contender for the post. This OBC leader is considered to be close to the RSS. He is Yeddyurappa's biggest rival and is also facing corruption charges, two factor that could go against him.
Ananth Kumar, the BJP National General Secretary, and Yeddyurappa's main detractor, has also thrown his hat into the ring. However, chances look slim for this Bangalore South Lok Sabha MP.
Among the dark horses are Higher Education Minister VS Acharya. A Brahmin by caste, sources say that Yeddyurappa may concede to the BJP MLA from Udupi.
The name of Law Minister Suresh Kumar, who has close RSS ties, is also doing the rounds. Yeddyurappa may concede to this Brahmin MLA from Bangalore.
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