Murmurs of leadership change grow loud again in Karnataka amid Covid-19 pandemic

BENGALURU: Despite the Covid pandemic havoc in Karnataka, as BS Yediyurappa inches close to completing two years as Chief Minister, murmurs of a leadership change in the State have once again resurfaced.

With in-fighting within the cabinet and disgruntlement among party leaders over the increasingly widening gap between the government and party, various leaders and factions have started lobbying with the central leadership over possible picks for the next chief ministerial candidate, if the high command decides it is time for a shift in power dynamics.

While aspirants and their teams, right from Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi to ministers Basavaraj Bommai and Murugesh Nirani, are said to be waiting for the high command to decide that the time for change is right, sources in the party suggest that a change in leadership is unlikely, at least till the pandemic eases.

Names of MLAs like Arvind Bellad are also in the running, given his multiple attempts to reach out to central leaders in Delhi. While the government struggles to grapple with Covid-19, the BJP in Karnataka is fighting its own battle of keeping the party cadre and leaders in tune.

Sources suggest that while animosity and cold wars between ministers in the cabinet, especially those in charge of managing Covid, are growing, on the party front the central leadership is not convinced that any candidate is good enough right now to replace Yediyurappa without a backlash.

Sources in the party suggest that despite in-fighting, complaints, arm-twisting against Yediyurappa, no change is in sight at least until the pandemic settles down. 

The central leadership of the party is said to have been convinced that Yediyurappa is their best bet to keep the government together when ministers are not mincing words to attack each other at closed doors meetings over funds, resources, shortages and Covid-19 management. 

​“Yediyurappa’s age and allegations of corruption and interference against his son Vijayendra have been the go-to cards for his baiters, but nobody has offered a suitable replacement if things were to turn ugly. The Central leadership is not keen to antagonise Yediyurappa,” a source said.