Amid reports of his resignation, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said on Sunday, 25 July, said that the final decision will be made public on Monday morning, following a programme to mark two years of his government.
Earlier, on Sunday morning, Yediyurappa had said that he will get word about the speculated change in leadership in the state by the evening and will 'take an appropriate decision on the same'.
Hours later, on Sunday evening, however, he was quoted by media reports as saying, “Nothing has come till now.”
Adding, on Sunday evening, that he believes the information will either 'come tonight or tomorrow morning', Yediyurappa said that he has decided to work 'till the very last minute'.
“I already said two months ago that I was ready to resign whenever I was asked to. I will say it again - until now I have got no message from the centre. As soon as it comes, if they ask me to continue I will. If not, I will resign and work for that party,"BS Yediyurappa, according to NDTV
'I Believe in Nadda, Amit Shah and PM Modi's Leadership'
Yediyurappa said that he believed in the leadership of Nadda, Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi.
Expressing satisfaction of the developmental projects in Shivamogga in the last two years, Yediyurappa, as quoted by PTI said, "I feel proud to say that through all-round development, I have made honest efforts to pay back to the people of Shivamogga district, and more specifically Shikaripura taluk, which gave me political birth."
He also thanked the people for supporting him through the challenges he faced.
Commenting on the possibility of appointing a Dalit CM, he stated that he was not the one who appointed his successor. “It is the high command.”
"Faced Several Challenges as CM"
Yediyurappa on Saturday said that since the day he took charge as the Chief Minister, he faced several challenges like unprecedented natural disasters in the state and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
He reached Belgavi district on Sunday morning to take stock of the situation due to heavy rains and floods across the state.
The CM plans on visiting most villages affected by the rains and expressed relief that the rains had stopped for the time being. State Revenue Minister R Ashok told ANI that nine lives have been lost and three people are missing in Karnataka’s flood affected regions.
Prahlad Joshi as a Possible Successor
Union Minister Prahlad Joshi, whose name has been doing the rounds as Yediyurappa’s successor, said on Saturday that nobody had spoken to him regarding the position and that he was not aware whether or not the current Chief Minister had been asked to resign.
Acknowledging media reports, Joshi noted that only the media had any speculations about the same and since nobody had spoken to him, there was 'no need to react to it', reported PTI.
These speculations have the possibility of triggering strong reactions from the Lingayat community, as they had warned to withdraw their support to the Bharatiya Janata Party if Yediyurappa, their strongman, was removed from his current post. As per media reports, over 500 Lingayat seers are slated to meet Yediyurappa in Bengaluru today.
"We will discuss the current situation in Karnataka. All seers have given their blessings to him (Yediyurappa). Every government should work on its shortcomings."Dingaleshwara Swami, Balehosur Mutt, speaking to ANI
The list of possible candidates for the position also includes CT Ravi, BL Santosh, Murugesh Nirani, Arvind Bellad and others.
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