Search on for BJPs State chief

It is said that after the state Assembly passed the Finance Bill, Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and the BJP may have heaved a sigh of relief.

However, the coming weeks may be turbulent for the party as it has to find a new state president, who will be acceptable to different factions.

The high command’s job in this regard may become tough as the party needs someone who can lead the party during Assembly elections, keep all factions together and at the same time not allow any individual to hijack the party.

Any change in the party will have a direct bearing on the government’s stability. As a result, the party high-command is likely to buy more time by maintaining the status-quo for at least the next three months till  incumbent president K S Eshwarappa’s three-year tenure ends.

Meanwhile, rumour mills are making rounds that former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa may consider quitting the party if he fails to have his way in choosing the next president.

This being the situation, the party is considering to make a political lightweight as the next party president to avoid any friction among the warring factions.

As a result, names of Dharwad MP Prahlad Joshi and Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Katil are said to be considered while consciously avoiding big guns like Yeddyurappa and D V Sadananda Gowda, who are also lobbying hard for the position.

“For now, it looks like Joshi has an advantage over Katil. The high command may not be inclined to entrust the party job to either of the former chief ministers,” sources in the BJP said. Joshi enjoys a good rapport with BJP national general secretary H N Ananth Kumar and Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and more importantly has the RSS backing.

Katil rose to power from being an ordinary worker of the party to becoming Member of Parliament by defeating the political war horse B Janardhan Poojary of the Congress. It is said that Katil enjoys the backing of party leaders from coastal region and is also a clear choice of the Sangh Parivar. BJP has a strong presence in the coastal region and it may try to consolidate the same by bringing in a fresh face from the region to head the party.