Thaindian News

Bangalore, May 15 (IANS) Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj Sunday accepted individual letters from 10 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rebel lawmakers pledging support to Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, ending an eight-month-long political crisis.

There was high drama at the Raj Bhavan as the rebels, who arrived there straight from the airport after landing from New Delhi, and several ministers had to wait for more than half-an-hour at the gates for an appointment.

Their supporters raised a ruckus when the legislators were not called in by the governor, who agreed to meet only a group of ministers and BJP spokesperson and special representative in New Delhi V. Dhanajaya Kumar.

“The governor has accepted the support letters and permitted to inform the media of the same,” Kumar told reporters after the meeting.

He said Bhardwaj told him and the ministers that he could not meet the lawmakers, the other ministers and BJP leaders waiting at the gate as his office was not functioning Sunday.

The legislators and other BJP leaders later left to meet Yeddyurappa.

This would be the first meeting of the rebels with Yeddyurappa after the 11 BJP lawmakers and five independents withdrew support to him in October last year which led to their disqualification.

The Supreme Court had Friday restored the membership of all 16 legislators, following which the BJP central leaders brokered a peace deal with the party rebels Saturday.

Of the 11 BJP rebels, 10 had stayed back in New Delhi and announced there Sunday that they were “unconditionally supporting” Yeddyurappa.

They also faxed the support letter to the Raj Bhavan as the governor, who was also in New Delhi, had already left for Bangalore.

The 11th BJP rebel, H.S. Shankaralinge Gowda, has refused to support Yeddyurappa but has said he will remain in the party.

The five independents, who had in May 2008 helped the BJP to form its first government in Karnataka and south India, were left to fend for themselves as the party no longer needs their support for survival.

With the return of the 11 members to the party fold, the BJP has 120 members, including the speaker, in the 225-member assembly with one nominated member.

It also enjoys the support of an independent.

The Congress has 71 members, the Janata Dal-Secular 26 while one seat is vacant.

Though the BJP has wooed back the rebels, it faces a problem of plenty in accommodating many aspirants in the ministry whose strength is constitutionally fixed at 34, including the chief minister.

There are seven vacancies now and at least 18 aspirants, including many from the rebels group, four of whom were ministers.

There was no word from either Raj Bhavan or the BJP on the fate of the assembly session from May 16 which Yeddyurappa convened soon after the May 13 apex court verdict in favour of the rebels.

Bhardwaj has to agree to convene the session and had said in New Delhi Saturday that he will decide on return to Bangalore.

With the rebels giving individual support letters and Bhardwaj accepting it, Yeddyurappa may not be that keen now for an early assembly session, ostensibly called to pass the budget.

He has time till July 30 to get the budget passed.