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New President for BJP State unit soon?

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore June 18. Kite-flying about the next President of the State unit of the BJP has started, though the term of Basavaraj Patil Sedam is due to expire only around September this year in the normal course.

The names doing the rounds are those of the Union Urban Development Minister, Ananth Kumar, and the former President of the party unit, B.S. Yediyurappa.

There is also speculation that the new President will be named much earlier, according to some sources within a fortnight, once a consensus is reached.

Last month, the BJP President, M. Venkaiah Naidu, had dismissed reports on any immediate reconstitution of the party unit.

According to one senior leader, it is better to have a new President of the State unit much ahead of the elections to the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly. Election of the President by September as scheduled might not leave much time for poll preparations.

However, Mr. Sedam, reacting to the reports, asserted that there would be "no premature change". The change would come about only in the normal course, according to him.

There are reports that the RSS does not want any one of three leaders — Mr. Ananth Kumar, Mr. Yediyurappa, or K.S. Eshwarappa, who has been reappointed Chairman of the Central Silk Board after he resigned from the post to contest in the Kanakapura Lok Sabha byelection — to be made the new President of the State unit.

Yediyurappa willing

Our Hubli Special Correspondent writes:

Mr. Yediyurappa has indicated that he is prepared to don the mantle of President of the State unit if the party desires.

Mr. Yediyurappa, who was answering questions from presspersons here today on the matter, said that he was prepared to shoulder any responsibility that the party high command might give him. However, he added that it was not necessary to hold office to serve the party.

Replying to a question, he said that the new President would have to lead the BJP in the coming Assembly elections. He had no hesitation in leading the party once again despite the setback suffered on the previous occasion in 1999. Things were different now, he added.

He said he had no regrets over the decision taken under his previous tenure to expel B.B. Shivappa, and to make Jagadish Shettar the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly.

It was a collective decision, though he played a major role, he added.

On the performance of Mr. Sedam as the State unit President, Mr. Yediyurappa said he had done good work organisationally. No President of the State unit had done as much as Mr. Sedam.

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