Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Nov 16: Since some days, there had been demand and discussions on the subject of replacing B S Yeddyurappa as state BJP president. There had been speculations about the persons who might take his mantle.

The high command of the party however has firmly said that currently there is no proposal before it to change its Karnataka state president. National president of the party, Amit Shah, has said that this is not the opportune time to discuss this issue. He has given clear signal to party functionaries not to fall prey to confusions which might be created by vested interests on such issues and advised everyone to join hands to organize the party in a strong way to face the coming Lok Sabha election.

It is gathered that a letter had been written to Shah seeking to change Yeddyurappa's leadership on various grounds, and pressure had been indirectly exerted on him to accept the proposal. One of the reasons cited was that Yeddyurappa now holds two posts, one of state BJP president, and the other of being the leader of the parliamentary party in the assembly against the one person - one designation rule. Secondly, the BJP is now following the norm of not giving important portfolios to leaders who have reached 75 years of age.

The central leaders have come to the conclusion that taking such steps at this juncture might prove to be dear for the party than turning beneficial. Therefore it has decided not to buckle under any sort of pressure on this issue for now.

Although several names had cropped up as the likely successor to Yeddyurappa, the national leadership has not found them capable enough to fill the void in case Yeddyurappa is replaced. In the past, when the issue of change in the state leadership was raised, Ananth Kumar's name had prominently cropped up. As Ananth Kumar is no more, BJP high command has been finding it hard to find a capable leader who is as popular and capable as that of Yeddyurappa.