Why is Yeddyurappa cozying up to Sonia?

Bharatiya Janata Party leader B S Yeddurappa's words of praise for Congress president Sonia Gandhi has set the cat among the pigeons.

Yeddyurappa, who has been seeking a leadership change in Karnataka, has said that he would announce his decision on whether to stay on in the party or move out by 4 pm on Monday.

Many in the BJP believe that Yeddurappa's comments were an attempt to cozy up to the Congress in the hope of an alliance in case he decides to split the BJP in Karnataka.

But the bigger question is what he would do once he splits the party. The option before him is to form a regional party backed heavily by the Lingayat community. It would be more on the lines of the Janata Dal-Secular, which banks heavily on the Vokkaligas community in Karnataka.

It is speculated that Yeddyurappa may float a regional party and then enter into an alliance with the Congress. But with so many charges of corruption against him, will the Congress be ready to even touch him at the moment?

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The only option for Yeddyurappa is to face the CBI probe and hope that he comes out clean.

Observers feel that his remarks could have been a peace offering with the Congress chief to ensure that the Central Bureau of Investigation goes soft on him so that he could come out clean and then think of a tie up with the Congress.

Yeddyurappa has another problem on hand -- the likelihood of his support base coming down drastically in case he decides to split the party.

At the moment he has the support of nearly 60 MLAs. However, the moment there is an indication that Yeddurappa could split the party, many of his followers have seemed a tad apprehensive. At least 30 of his loyalists could stay away from Yeddyurappa if he decides to break away.

Yeddyurappa realises that this is a do or die situation for him. He has stepped up the heat on the central leadership.

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The CBI case against him is fast catching up and sources say that the team is likely to begin its probe on Tuesday. Hence, he would want a decision by Monday itself.

Yeddyurappa is aware of how the BJP distanced itself from both Bangaru Laxman and Janardhan Reddy; he fears that he may face the same fate.

The BJP, meanwhile, would not want an election immediately.

Sources close to Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda say that they would want proper governance without any obstruction for at least another 6 months before they face an election, as at the moment they have nothing much to rave about to the voter.

Meanwhile, hectic discussions are on in New Delhi while Yeddyurappa continues to hold meetings with his loyalists in Bengaluru.

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