After a week of high drama, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) high command has ruled out leadership change in Karnataka and retained BS Yeddyurappa as the Chief Minister on Thursday, Nov 5.
The Reddy brothers who set forth this rebellion to dethrone BSY have, no doubt, suffered a great disappointment with this decision but what are the other options available to them now?
Janardhana Reddy and Karunakara Reddy who managed to claim support of 60 MLAs during their dissidence can make use of this strength now. The rebelling group can blackmail the BJP high command by threatening to resign.
BSY will continue as the CM: BJP high commandThis would not be a completely new direction for the group as the group of leaders led by Renukacharya holed up in a Hyderabad hotel have already threatened to do so earlier.
Considering that Karnataka's government is the an important asset for the party in terms of its presence in the south, the high command may be forced to rethink their decision.
Put in a tough spot, the high command may be forced to offer other alternatives to suit the demands of rebels.
The removal of close aide of BSY and cabinet minister, Shobah Karandlaje and principal secretary VP Baligar being one. Jagadish Shettar and Karunakara Reddy could also be offered important posts such as the Home Minister or a Deputy Chief Minister.
If not resignation, the Reddy group has already intimated their willingness to leave the party and move to another. In this case, about one third of the party leaders would be considering the option of moving to Congress and forming a government.
Most of the leaders in the Reddy faction are experienced politicians who are not as loyal to a particular as they are keen on Yedi's ouster.
The Reddys may not only gain support from the Congress but also may get outside support from Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Even if all these options fail, the dissidents may be ready to getting into the bettlefield with an election. Making use of their strong hold in 10 North Karnataka districts, the rebelling group can start a new regional party or just join hands with the Congress.
On the other hand, when it comes to the supporters of BSY, they have maintained that they would only work for Yedi or give up their power. They have ruled out any possibility of agreeing on anything other option.
However, the week-long pandemonium in the state has left only one party tired - the people of the state. Ultimately, the chaos unleashed by the ruling BJP has only sullied the party's image in Karnataka.
Tags: karnataka, bsy, bharatiya janata party, shobha karandlaje, vp baligar, jagadish shetar, karunakara reddy, janardhana reddy, bs yeddyurappa, congress, sonia gandhi.
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