BS Yediyurappa resigns: Here are BJP's frontrunners for next Karnataka CM

Putting speculations to rest, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday (July 26) resigned from the top post. With the veteran Lingayat leader vacating the top post, the BJP is likely to replace him with a younger face keeping in mind the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.

The BJP's top leadership is learnt to have taken feedback about suitable candidates from several sources, including the Intelligence Bureau, private backroom advisors, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and bureaucrats. (This story was originally published on July 20 and has been updated with new developments as of July 26)

Party sources say the final decision about who would replace BS Yediyurappa, if at all, rests with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Dattatreya Hosabale (the second seniormost functionary in the RSS).

The sources added that the party high command is taking a "holistic approach" in selecting the next chief minister and not decide it solely on the basis of community representation.

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Even though the Lingayats form the backbone of BJP's vote bank in Karnataka, reports suggest that the party is open to looking for strong leadership from other communities.

Frontrunners for the BJP's next CM in Karnataka

Frontrunners from Lingayat community

Basavaraj Bommai

Basavaraj Bommai is presently the home minister of Karnataka and is a close confidant of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. Bommai hails from the 'janata pariwar' and is the son of former Chief Minister SR Bommai. Basavaraj Bommai joined BJP in 2008 and has risen in the party ranks since then. In the past, he held the portfolio of water resources. He is a product of political school of 'janata pariwar' stalwarts that include HD Devegowda and Ramakrishna Hegde.

Murugesh Nirani

Currently, the minister for mines and geology in the Karnataka government, Murugesh Nirani is from the prominent Panchamshali Lingayat sect which is the majority amongst the Lingayats. In the past, he was the state's minister for industries and is himself an industrialist.

He has over 1 lakh employees in his sugar, power, and clean energy businesses. He is a three-time MLA and started his public life with the RSS in the 1990s.

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Arvind Bellad

Arvind Bellad is a two-time MLA and is known to have a good academic background and clean image. Bellad is the son of senior legislator Chandrakant Bellad. He reportedly has the backing of the RSS for his clean image and could be projected as a young, modern face of the party in Karnataka.

Frontrunners from Vokkaliga community

CT Ravi

CT Ravi is presently the national general secretary of the BJP. He is known to be the blue-eyed boy of the sangh parivar and is close to BJP's national organisation secretary BL Santosh. Ravi was the education minister in the previous BJP government in Karnataka. He is an organisation man of the party and a staunch follower of Hindutva. He recently resigned as a minister in the Karnataka government to take up party role. Ravi is also a four-time MLA.

CN Ashwath Narayan

Ashwath Narayan is presently the deputy chief minister of Karnataka. A doctor by qualification, Ashwath Narayan is the modern, neutral face of the BJP. He has been an MLA since 2008 and represents Malleshwaram constituency in Bangalore. He was made a deputy CM by the BJP top brass as he met its requirements of being the party's young and modern face.

Brahmin frontrunners

Pralhad Joshi

Pralhad Joshi is the present Union minister for parliamentary affairs and coal. Joshi is a three-time MP from Dharwad and is now known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was handpicked for the cabinet after the 2019 Lok Saha elections. Joshi is also close to the RSS and is reportedly seen as an able administrator within the government.

ALSO READ | Will resign if BJP high command asks me: Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa

OBC frontrunners

Sunil Kumar

Sunil Kumar is presently the Karnataka government's chief whip and a three-time MLA from Karkala constituency in Udupi district. He is also the Saha Prabhari of Kerala BJP and is said to be an ardent follower of Hindutva politics. Sunil Kumar has a core Sangh background and was part of the Bajrang Dal and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of RSS.

He rose up in the party ranks after his protests in the communally sensitive Datta Peeta agitation in Chikmagalur. He is known to be close aide of Sangh leaders like Dattatreya Hosabale, BL Santosh and others.

The change of leadership in Karnataka has been on the cards for the past three-four months. Recently, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa met PM Modi and Home Minister Amit in Delhi and the message from the meetings appeared to be clear that he will have to make way for a new face.

Yediyurappa, 80, was facing backlash from own MLAs and cabinet colleagues over several issues. Many MLAs have leveled serious allegations of corruption against him and his family members.

Some BJP MLAs also expressed disappointment over his working style as a chief minister and have taken it up with the party's top brass on several occasions.

Keeping in mind the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election, the BJP is looking for a new face to replace Yediyurappa.

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