BJP denies crisis in Karnataka

Former Karnataka chief minister, BS Yeddyurappa is seeking reinstatement to the CM's post or a senior party position and has forced his party the BJP to cancel Day 2 of a state 'chintan baithak' called to discuss the party's Karnataka strategy in the wake of scandals and scams that have seriously dented its image.

Party chief Nitin Gadkari arrived in Bangalore for the meeting and after meeting Yeddyurappa had chosen to play down the crisis, while also ruling out a change of guard in the state.

The official  reason advanced for cutting short the Bangalore meet was that BJP leaders had to campaign for byelections in Udipi and Chikmagalur.

However, according to unnamed sources quoted by NDTV the second day of the meeting was called off on Yeddyurappa's boycott threat.

In a show of strength, he had called a meeting at his residence yesterday of over 50 MLAs of the ruling BJP.

Yeddyurappa was the chief minister till September last year, when he was forced to resign after a Lokayukta report indicted him on illegal mining in the state.