As Karnataka battles COVID-19, rumors on leadership change resurface

After the arrival of Karnataka’s Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s son BY Vijayendra at New Delhi on a special flight on Friday, speculations and rumour have started doing the rounds in Karnataka power circles about a change of leadership in the State.

Both of them were accompanied by State’s Advocate-General Prabhuling Navadagi and both met Home Minister Amit Shah and party’s Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh separately without Navadagi, which added fuel to the speculation.

Speaking after the meeting with Shah, Bommai said that he had come to appraise the Union Home Minister on the measures taken to control the spread of COVID-19 in the State.

Yediyurappa at 78 years old has proven to be the strongest leader in the party in the State and forms the backbone of the Lingayat support to the party.

However, as per reports, the party in an effort to win over the Vokkaliga community might make CN Ashwath Narayan the next chief minister with a prominent role for Bommai.

Additionally, it was also reported that in a recent RSS meet Yediyurappa had made the demand to make either make Narayan or Bommai the new chief minister and giving a top role to his son Vijayendra.