Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari Sunday formally announced Jagadish Shettar as the new chief minister of Karnataka, replacing D.V. Sadananda Gowda.

“According to the present situation in Karnataka, he (Gowda) has told me that he is resigning from the chief minister’s post,” Gadkari told an army of journalists outside his residence here.

“Keeping in mind the future of Karnataka, we have decided to give the leadership to Jagdish Shettar,” he added.

Gowda, who came to New Delhi Saturday evening amid turmoil in the Karnataka BJP, met party leaders L.K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar at Advani’s residence.

He met Gadkari Sunday morning.

“Sadanandji has done an excellent work, there are no complains of corruption or any other complaint against him,” the party president said.

“As a good party worker, he handed me his resignation for the party’s benefit. We have accepted his resignation,” he said.

Gadkari said party leaders Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh will go to Bangalore Monday and will have discussions with the BJP leadership there.

“There will also be a meeting of MLAs, and after that Sadanandji and Shettarji will meet the governor,” Gadkari said.

Gowda’s exit follows a sustained campaign by his predecessor, B.S. Yeddyurappa, the party’s first chief minister in south India who wanted to see the back of Gowda.

Shettar is presently the rural development minister of Karnataka.