B S Yediyurappa returns empty-handed

Bengaluru: While Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa could not meet BJP national president, Amit Shah  in Delhi and returned to the city on Friday without discussing the portfolios of the newly appointed ministers with him, party sources say they could be allotted on Saturday.

Although Mr. Yediyurappa waited all day at Karnataka Bhavan to meet Mr. Shah, he did not get an appointment as the Union home minister was busy with other matters, according to sources close to the Chief Minister.

Mr. Yediyurappa had no choice but to return to Bengaluru, late Friday with minister, Dr. Ashwathnarayana and his son, B.Y. Vijayendra, who had accompanied him to the capital.

But while in Delhi he met party national organising secretary, B.L.Santhosh and newly appointed BJP state president, Nalin Kumar Kateel, and discussed the allocation of portfolios and the issues concerning the disqualified MLAs, who are growing increasingly unhappy at being relegated to the sidelines, according to sources.

The BJP central leadership is believed to be upset with Mr Yediyurappa for the manner in which he is handling the issues concerning the former legislators.

While they had helped the BJP form the government in the state with their resignations from the state assembly which precipitated the fall of the Kumaraswamy governmment, their pressure tactics have not gone down well. BSY is reported to have assured the BJP top brass that he would handle the cabinet allocation but then approached Delhi when the 17 disqualified MLAs upped the ante, which has upset the top leadership.

Going by sources, the disqualified MLAs - like the Chief Minister - too did not get to meet the party top brass in Delhi to discuss their grievances. One of the disqualified legislators, Prathap Gowda Patil of the Congress, however, even claimed they were not in Delhi to meet Mr Amit Shah, but to meet their advocates and discuss their case, which is pending before the Supreme Court.