The man of the moment in Karnataka

With elections round the corner in Karnataka, parties in the state are making a desperate bid to bring former Janata Dal-Secular leader M P Prakash into their fold.

The faction led by Prakash, which had cut off ties with the JD-S after citing differences with party chief H D Deve Gowda and his sons, will hold a meeting on Thursday to decide on the next course of action.

Prakash, former deputy chief minister and state home minister, had indicated that he will be taking a decision on the party he wished to join in the last week of December. He has kept his options open and has remained non-committal to all parties.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party will make all efforts to bring Prakash into its fold, the leader himself does not seem too keen on joining the BJP until and unless all petty issues are resolved.

BJP leader from Bellary in Karnataka, Janardhan Reddy, had expressed reservations over Prakash joining the party. Sources close to Prakash say he would not like to join the party when there is opposition from within.

Meanwhile, B S Yeddyurappa is expected to meet with Prakash soon and convince him to join the party. The Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party too are keen on roping in Prakash into their party.

Though Prakash's decision may be known in the days to come, he has ruled out the option of floating a new party, as it would confuse the voter.

"I will take a concrete decision soon, but not return to the JD-S," he says.