Reddys claim to have support of 67 Karna MLAs

Chief Minister of Karnataka B S Yedyurappa may have to face darker days ahead with the Reddy brothers claiming that they have 67 Members of Legislative Assembly on their side.

Sources said the Reddy brothers had already flown in 40 MLAs to Hyderabad to prevent the chief minister from wooing any of them.

They also said that the Reddy camp had convinced senior leader Jagadish Shettar to join their camp and also head their camp.

With this development, the numbers in the Yedyurappa faction seems to be in minority and this would mean that the bargaining capacity of the Reddy faction would naturally go up.

The chief minister, however, despite the poor numbers sounds optimistic and feels that he would sail through this crisis.

The Reddy faction, after pocketing a majority of the MLAs, has claimed that they were in a position to make their demands and also added that the Bharatiya Janata Party high command would have to take them more seriously.

The Reddy faction will be meeting the BJP high command in New Delhi on Saturday, which may decide the future course of Yedyurappa's career.

The Reddy brothers have sought for a change in leadership in the state and also several changes in the portfolios.

The BJP has held several meetings with senior leaders in three days, but no result has yielded.

The current strength of the BJP in the Karnataka assembly is 117, of which the Reddy faction claims it has got 67.