A reported meeting between Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and key party strategist Bhupender Yadav, which was followed by B.Y. Vijayendra’s daylong trip to New Delhi on Thursday, have raised eyebrows in political circles.
Political circles are abuzz with speculation over the reported development, seeing this as a “message from the high command” following the recent exercise carried out by Arun Singh, in charge of party affairs in the State. While the Chief Minister’s detractors continue to predict and set new deadlines for his replacement, sources close to him maintain that the outcome had been “positive” and rubbish all rumours.
Reports suggest BJP national general secretary Bhupender Yadav, considered to be close to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, made an unscheduled brief visit to the city and met the Chief Minister at a resort in Devanahalli on Wednesday. While a source close to the Chief Minister indicated that the meeting did take place, party sources denied any knowledge of it. Hours after this reported meeting, Mr. Vijayendra flew to Delhi on Thursday morning and returned to the city late night, triggering further speculation.
Mr. Yadav was reported to have made a similar visit to the State in December 2020 when he is said to have consulted senior RSS leaders on the political situation. Not even the State unit of the party was kept in the loop, sources said. Shortly after his visit, the party high command had cleared the decks for the much-delayed Cabinet expansion in the State.
.png?w=600)
