Bommai will complete term as Karnataka CM, no change in leadership: Yediyurappa

India

oi-Prakash KL

Bengaluru, Aug 10:
Rejecting
speculations
that
the
Karnataka
Chief
Minister
would
be
replaced
ahead
of
assembly
polls
next
year,
state
BJP
strongman
B
S
Yediyurappa
on
Wednesday
said
Basavaraj
Bommai
will
complete
the
term
and
no
such
discussions
about
a
change
has
taken
place
in
the
party.

The
former
chief
minister
also
said
the
party
leadership
will
decide
on
the
next
state
BJP
president,
once
the
incumbent
Nalin
Kumar
Kateel’s
term
is
over,
and
that
he
and
other
state
leaders
will
tour
Karnataka
with
an
aim
to
come
back
to
power
in
the
2023
assembly
polls.

“There
is
no
truth
in
it.
There
is
no
question
of
changes
when
it
is
seven
to
eight
months
for
election.
Basavaraj
Bommai
will
continue
as
the
Chief
Minister.
Such
unnecessary
reports
in
the
media
are
not
right,
I
appeal
to
you
to
stop
it,”
Yediyurappa
said
in
response
to
a
question
on
Congress’ tweets
regarding
replacement
of
the
CM.

Speaking
to
reporters
here,
he
said
no
one
in
the
party
is
discussing
changing
the
CM
and
there
is
no
need
for
it.
“Even
if
someone
has
said
something
in
this
regard,
there
is
no
such
change,”
he
said
in
response,
when
told
that
an
ex-BJP
MLA
has
indicated
about
replacement
of
the
CM.

Karnataka
CM
Bommai
tests
Covid
positive,
cancels
Delhi
trip

Bommai,
who
took
over
from
Yediyurappa
as
Chief
Minister,
completed
one
year
in
office
on
July
28.
He
is
currently
under
home
isolation
after
testing
positive
for
COVID-19.

The
Congress
in
a
series
of
tweets
has
been
speculating
about
Chief
Minister
Bommai
being
replaced
and
has
even
called
him
a
“puppet
CM”.
There
has
been
some
buzz
on
and
off
within
the
state
BJP
in
recent
times,
regarding
some
kind
of
an
overhaul
including
at
the
top
level,
especially
after
the
recent
visit
of
Union
Home
Minister
Amit
Shah
to
the
state.

Former
BJP
MLA
B
Suresh
Gowda’s
recent
statement
indicating
some
changes
that
the
high
command
will
take
a
call
on
replacing
the
chief
minister
and
other
matters
in
the
interest
of
the
party
and
to
win
the
elections
in
future,
had
added
to
the
speculations.

Clarifying
that
Shah
discussed
with
him
about
the
political
developments
and
other
issues
when
both
met
last
week
here,
Yediyurappa
said
there
was
no
discussion
regarding
leadership
change
and
that
question
did
not
arise
at
all.

“I’m
100
per
cent
confident
that
Bommai
will
continue
and
complete
the
next
eight
month
period
as
Chief
Minister,”
he
said,
adding
that
the
CM
at
the
earliest
after
consulting
the
national
leadership
will
decide
on
cabinet
expansion
and
other
matters.

Regarding
the
new
state
party
president,
the
veteran
BJP
leader
said
naturally
once
the
term
of
the
current
president
is
completed,
change
will
happen,
and
the
high
command
will
decide.
The
incumbent
state
president
Kateel’s
term
is
ending
by
August
20.

BS
Yediyurappa
says
his
son
Vijayendra
has
capacity
to
contest
election
from
anywhere

To
a
question
on
any
discussion
with
Shah
regarding
his
recent
announcement
about
vacating
his
Shikaripura
assembly
seat
in
favour
of
his
son,
Yediyurappa
said,
“I
have
openly
said
that
B
Y
Vijayendra
(Yediyurappa’s
son)
should
contest
from
there.
Ultimately,
the
central
leadership
will
take
a
decision
and
we
will
abide
by
it.”

Asked
about
former
chief
minister
Jagadish
Shettar
meeting
him,
Yediyurappa
said,
“He
is
a
senior
leader
and
former
CM,
he
had
come
to
discuss
political
developments
on
getting
to
know
that
I’m
going
out
of
town.”