Unanimous decision to remove Yeddyurappa, says BJP; he doesn't budge

New Delhi/Bangalore: The BJP has said the party's decision to ask BS Yeddyurappa to resign immediately was a unanimous one. Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that he is confident that Mr Yeddyurappa will follow his party's orders. (Watch: Rise and fall of Yeddyurappa)

In Bangalore, the Karnataka Chief Minister devoted his day to proving exactly the opposite. He conducted a long meeting with more than 32 BJP leaders, including eight ministers. The session was intended to clearly telegraph his popularity among ministers and MLAs in his state - the assembly has 121 BJP MLAs.

Mr Yeddyurappa also sent an emissary to find the support of the powerful Reddy brothers of Bellary, and it seemed for a while that they would find common cause in their indictment in the Santosh Hegde report on illegal mining. But the Reddys and some other leaders soon conveyed to the party that they would abide with the decision of the central leadership.  

Mr Yeddyurappa was indicted yesterday in a report on illegal mining that concluded the Chief Minister and his family accepted kickbacks from a mining company. The report - prepared by Santosh Hegde, Karnataka's Lokayukta or ombudsman - forced the BJP to finally act against Mr Yeddyurappa, who has regularly provoked allegations of corruption and nepotism. (Read: Yeddyurappa discusses options with loyalist ministers, legislators)

Party leaders travelled back and forth between BJP power centres in Bangalore, trying to assess whether Mr Yeddyurappa stands a fighting chance, and how many MLAs he may be able to rally around him if he decides to confront his central party leaders. A cabinet meeting that he had called later in the day was cancelled.

A guarded BJP at the Centre dismissed any reports of rebellion as "speculation." Tomorrow, Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh will fly to Bangalore to serve as observers while Karnataka MLAs select their new leader. (In Pics: After Yeddyurappa who?)

Till as recently as this morning, Mr Yeddyurappa insisted that there was no question of his resignation. He argued with his party leadership that the charges against him in the report prepared by Mr Hegde are not new.

Reddy brothers desert Yeddyurappa

Mr Hegde's report has also found other senior politicians in Karnataka guilty of facilitating or benefiting from illegal mining. Among those faulted are the Reddy brothers, mining barons from Bellary, and senior ministers in Mr Yeddyurappa's cabinet. (Watch: Will Reddy brothers be fired too?)

Possibly because of their shared predicament, Janardhana and Karunakara Reddy seemed to be standing by Mr Yeddyurappa, but they soon deserted him. Early evening on Thursday, the Reddy brothers, Revenue Minister G Karunakara and Tourism Minister G Janardhana, agreed to abide by the BJP leadership's decision to remove Mr Yeddyurappa. "We, including the Reddy brothers, abide by the decision of the party high command for change of leadership in the state. We have conveyed our decision to the state unit president KS Eshwarappa," said Health Minister B Sriramulu.

The Reddys had led a sizeable revolt against Mr Yeddyurappa a few years ago. They had gathered around them a hefty portion of MLAs, who insisted that the central leadership remove Mr Yeddyurappa for what they described as his autocratic style of functioning. At that time - and on many later occasions - the BJP stood by its man, one who delivered a southern state for the first time to the party.

But with Mr Hegde's report - and his recommendation that Mr Yeddyurappa be prosecuted under the Prevention of Corruption Act - the Chief Minister's cons supercede his popularity with voters and the powerful Lingayat community to which he belongs, as well as his remarkable survival skills. 

Why BJP needs Yeddyurappa out

Next week, the monsoon session of Parliament begins. The BJP has planned a high-volume attack against the UPA for corruption - a frighteningly long list of financial scandals have hurtled into the headlines in the last few months, gifting the BJP an opportunity to strike. The Congress has repeatedly said that any allegations of corruption are ill-advised by the BJP, considering its unwavering loyalty to Mr Yeddyurappa as the charges piled up against him. A series of land scams, for example, were allegedly constructed via the Chief Minister's office. He is accused of freeing up or denotifying land acquired cheaply for public projects; this prime property was then made available to his children and their companies, say his critics.

Mr Yeddyurappa cancelled some land allotments after media reports and a sustained campaign by his arch-enemy, HD Kumaraswamy, the Opposition leader who was once Chief Minister of Karnataka. Mr Kumaraswamy has also been indicted by Mr Hegde in his report on mining; he is accused of sanctioning out-of-turn licenses to two mining companies.

Contenders For Next Chief Minister  

Jagadish Shettar
He is currently the Rural Development Minister in Karnataka. Mr Shettar is not a nationally-known figure, but being a Lingayat like Yeddyurappa can work in his favour. Or it can work against him - if Yeddyurappa wants to stay the dominant Lingayat leader.

Eshwarappa
He is the Karnataka BJP president and belongs to the backward caste. Mr Eshwarappa, too, is not a nationally-known figure.

Sadananda Gowda
Former BJP state president, Mr Gowda is a non-controversial leader. He belongs to the Vokkaliga caste.

Ananth Kumar
Long considered a Yeddyurappa rival, Mr Ananth Kumar is believed to be working against him behind his back. Publicly, however, he and Yeddyurappa put on a united front. Mr Kumar is known at the national level. But he is a Brahmin so does not command a large vote bank.

VS Acharya
Former Home Minister, Mr VS Acharya is a Yeddyurappa loyalist. He has faced trouble many times in the past. Mr Acharya is a Brahmin, which may work against him.

Suresh Kumar
He is the current Law Minister and has a very clean image. As a Brahmin, he may not have a large vote bank to count on but a non-controversial image may work in his favour.

Shobha Karandlaje
She is not really in the line to succeed Yeddyurappa. And her proximity to the Karnataka Chief Minister may work against her. Ms Karandlaje belongs to the Vokkaliga caste.