Bangalore/New Delhi: The BJP is involved in hectic parleys with its legislators in Karnataka, as the party tries to find a successor to chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, who will finally quit on Sunday.
BJP state unit president KS Eshwarappa told reporters that party central leaders -- Jaitley, Singh and Dharmendra Pradhan -- are in the process of eliciting the opinion of all the 121 ruling party MLAs.
"I am confident that election of our (new) leader will take place tomorrow," he said.
On a section of MLAs expressing the view that Yeddyurappa should be made the state party president, he said: "We will abide by the decision of the central leaders".
Responding to a question, Eshwarappa said the central leaders would hold discussions with Yeddyurappa on giving him "right post".
Yeddyurappa has reportedly suggested some names and said as long as a choice is made from this panel he would not object. He is believed to have suggested three names.
The names doing the rounds to succeed Yeddyurappa are State BJP president K S Eshwarappa, Lok Sabha MP Sadanand Gowda, Ministers Jagadish Shettar, Shoba Karandlaje, V S Acharya and Suresh Kumar S and party national general secretary and MP Ananth Kumar.
Earlier, after his tense standoff with the leadership, Yeddyurappa announced he would tender his resignation on Sunday.
The chief ministeer released a press statement saying he would quit office on July 31.
In the signed statement that was read out to the media outside the chief minister's residence by loyalist minister Basavaraj Bommai, Yeddyurappa said he had already issued a statement on Thursday that he would tender his resignation on July 31 following the decision of the party's parliamentary board and instruction from BJP central leaders.
But, he said, despite the statement, "even now, some media are misleading the public that I am not resigning".
"I, hereby, again clarify that I am submitting my resignation on the afternoon of 31-7-2011", he said.
It has been made clear by the Central leadership to Yeddyurappa that since he is having a say on who becomes the next chief minister, he will himself have to give up his demand of becoming the state unit chief. This would mean Eshwarappa may be allowed to continue.
Sources close to Yeddyurappa said he has asked Governor HR Bhardwaj for an appointment tomorrow anytime after 1 pm when the inauspicious time, as per astrological calender, gets over. He will then tender his resignation.
The time for convening the meeting of the BJP Legislature party has also not been fixed yet.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, July 30, 2011, 09:39