Bangalore:
Hours after Narendra Modi was announced as BJP's PM candidate for the national elections, former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa hinted at reviving ties with his old party.
Mr Yeddyurappa's Karnataka Janata Party is likely to announce a formal tie-up with the BJP after a meeting on September 18. Sources say the Lingayat strongman, who was with the BJP for 40 years before quitting last year, may also return to the BJP.
After the BJP announced Mr Modi's candidature on Friday, Mr Yeddyurappa, a known supporter of the Gujarat Chief Minister, said, "We would whole heartedly support Modiji. We may also support the NDA in these circumstances."
A team of BJP leaders from Karnataka met Mr Modi in Gujarat about 10 days ago, reportedly to discuss Mr Yeddyurappa's re-entry. "Narendra Modi said 'all leaders who have worked for the party in the past and had left us for various reasons should be brought back.' He was very categorical about that," Sadananda Gowda, who replaced Mr Yeddyurappa as Chief Minister in 2011, told NDTV.
Mr Yeddyurappa is often credited with bringing the BJP to power for the first time down south in 2007. Ironically, he is also believed to be a major reason behind the party's exit. The 70-year-old exited the Chief Minister's post and subsequently the party after facing allegations of corruption. He began his own political outfit, which failed miserably in the assembly elections held earlier this year, winning only six MLA seats.
The 10-month estrangement with Mr Yeddyurappa also cost the BJP. It lost to Congress by a big margin and lost its only state in the south. However, with Mr Yeddyurappa's likely return, the BJP will hope the Lingayat leader's mass appeal will fetch many of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state.