After staying away for months, KJP chief BS Yeddyurappa seems to have made up his mind to join hands with his parent party — the BJP. Taking the initial formal step to be part of National Democratic Alliance (NDA), former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa on Saturday requested NDA convenor lK Advani to invite him or his represtative in all NDA meetings. He expressed support to BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Yeddyurappa’s missive to NDA chairman and BJP veteran leader lK Advani comes in the midst of his repeated public posture that the KJP would not merge with the BJP, which he quit in the sequel to BJP central leadership’s decision to remove him as Chief Minister over the illegal mining issue. The State BJP is divided on the re-entry of Yeddyurappa, whose outfit too has differences of opinion on the merger of both parties.
In his letter, Yeddyurappa drew the attention of Advani to the unanimous decision of KJP’s Executive Committee to support NDA in its endeavour of making Modi the “future” Prime Minister. He noted that KJP had won six seats in the May Assembly polls in Karnataka and secured more than 10 per cent of total valid votes polled. The Election Commission had also recognised KJP as a regional party, he said.
KJP had failed to make a mark of its own in the Assembly polls but played spoilsport to the chances of BJP, whose only Government in the South crumbled leading to resurrection of the Congress rule after a long hiatus. Yeddyurappa assured Advani of full cooperation to make NDA a success in the lok Sabha polls.