Ending the political impasse in Karnataka triggered by factional politics in the BJP,Chief Minister Sadanand Gowda resigned today to be replaced Jagadish Shettar,a second change of Chief Minister in 11 months. The BJP high command bowed to Lingayat leader B S Yeddyurappa's demand for the change in view of the Assembly elections due early next year and agreed to replace 59-year-old Gowda,a Vokkaliga leader,with Rural Development Minister Shettar,56,who is a Lingayat. BJP President Nitin Gadkari said,"In view of the current political situation in Karnataka,Sadanand Gowda has handed over his resignation to me. In his tenure,he did good work and the performance of our government was very good. "There were no complaints against him on grounds of corruption but keeping the party's interest in mind,as a good party worker,he has resigned," he told reporters here. He also announced that he has accepted Gowda's resignation on behalf of the party. "Our party has decided to hand over the leadership to Jagadish Shettar," Gadkari said. Senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley will go to Bengaluru tomorrow to oversee the formal election of Shettar as Chief Minister of Karnataka by the party MLAs. Asked if Deputy Chief Ministers would also be appointed by the party as was reported earlier,Gadkari said no such decision has been taken on this issue. With the Assembly elections just 10 months away,the BJP central leadership realised that to put up a "good show",it will have to fight under the leadership of Yeddyurappa,whom many see as the undisputed leader of the Lingayat community which has always voted for the party,BJP sources said. Shettar will stake his claim to form the govenment after Gowda formally submits his resignation to Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj which is expected by Wednesday,the sources said. Shettar will be the third Chief Minister in the present BJP government which came to power in 2008. Yeddyurappa,who led the party to victory then,had to step down after he was indicted by the Lokayukta in a graft case. Gowda had taken over from him in August last year. Though Gadkari did not specify the new role of Gowda and maintained his services will be used both at the state and the national level,it is likely that he will be given a Rajya Sabha ticket. Gowda himself is reportedly not keen on becoming Karnataka unit chief,a post he has held in the past,the sources said. Gadkari asked the party unit in Karnataka to work unitedly and give a good result in the Assembly elections. But with the party remaining a divided house in the southern state,it is unclear how long this peace will last. Interestingly,when Gadkari made the announcement about Gowda's resignation,the outgoing chief minister was not by his side. Gowda exited from a backdoor at Gadkari's residence after submitting his resignation to the party chief. Gadkari was all praise for Gowda,saying he had provided a "good and clean" administration to Karnataka in the 11 months that he was at the helm of affairs. On his part,Gowda did not show any resentment at being asked to put in his papers,saying he was an "obedient soldier" of the party. "The verdict given by the central leadership has been whole-heartedly accepted by me. I will be a loyal worker of the party. I would like to see that the remaining period of my party's administrative time is good enough. The incoming Chief Minister will get all sort of cooperation from me," he said. He hoped the people "bless" his party once again in the Assembly polls. Gowda - the soft face of Karnataka politics The ever smiling D V Sadananda Gowda presents the soft face of Karnataka politics,exemplified by his making an unchallenged exit after a 11-month turbulent tenure as chief minister. With caste equations being played to the hilt,Gowda has had to make way for Jagadish Shettar as the very state strongman B S Yeddyurappa,who handpicked him as his successor,claimed his scalp. After being forced to quit over the illegal mining issue in July last year,Yeddyurappa had opposed Shettar,who was pitted against Gowda in the race for Chief Ministership,but has now coopted Shettar,a fellow Lingayat leader,into his camp. Gowda,the second leader from coastal part of Karnataka to become Chief Minister after M Veerappa Moily,is from the RSS stable like his predecessor Yeddyurappa and successor Shettar. His role as state BJP chief in installing the first ever BJP government in the South in 2008 is well acknowledged in political and his own party circles,which also earned him some national prominence. Despite Gowda and his supporters opposing change of guard as assembly elections are 10 months away,the high command replaced him with Shettar to save its government,tottering under heightened rebellion,marked by the caste factor. Gowda had steered his government free of any scams in the last 11 months but could not rein in dissidents. His cup of woes overflowed as he tried to come out of the shadow of Yeddyurappa,who is himself battling a spate of corruption charges. Gowda was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1994 and 1999 from Puttur Assembly seat in Dakshina Kannada. He became Deputy Leader of the Opposition in his second term as MLA. He was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha in 2004 from Mangalore Lok Sabha seat,defeating Veerappa Moily of the Congress. In 2009,the party shifted him to Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency,which he won and quit after becoming Chief Minister. He is now member of the legislative council for a short term,which will end by early next year.
