It is official now. The Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP), an outfit formed by former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, will merge with the BJP in Karnataka by mid-January.
Putting all speculation to rest, lingayat strongman Yeddyurappa announced this in his native town Shimoga on Monday. He said he discussed this issue with BJP national president Rajnath Singh at Soraba in Karnataka where both the leaders met briefly at a condolence ceremony of Meenakshamma, mother of senior RSS functionary Dattatreya Hosabale.
“I will give sweet news in the first week of New Year. I know the party, which I built, has suffered due to my absence. I will not only rejoin my parental party but also tour the entire State to strengthen the hands of Narendra Modi to make him the Prime Minister,” BSY said.
“Wherever I go in the State, people tell me to join the BJP and help in making Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi the Prime Minister. I grew up in RSS. I could become the Chief Minister only because of the blessings and support of the party,” he said, adding his return was “unconditional”.
Signalling the end of his political outfit KJP, which was formed after he resigned as an MlA of the BJP on November 30, 2012, Yeddyurappa said there was no point in asking about the future of the KJP because the party is going to merge with the BJP.
He said the Congress had benefited as a result of the BJP and KJP contesting the May 8 Assembly elections separately in the State. Garnering 10 per cent vote share and six seats, Yeddyurappa had damaged the prospects of the then ruling BJP but failed to make an impact as an independent entity. Yeddyurappa said he had left the BJP out of “inevitable circumstances.”
He said the BJP had won 19 of the 28 lok Sabha seats in Karnataka in the last elections and his effort in the 2014 parliamentary polls would be to get more number of seats. Yeddyurappa said after Assembly polls, the KJP had planned to have a tie-up with the BJP but “on clearance from BJP high command” to induct him back he has decided to merge KJP with BJP.