Will court cases come in the way of former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa finding Cabinet berth?

BANGALORE: The million-dollar question that is doing rounds in Karnataka is whether former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, who shares good rapport with prime minister-designate Narendra Modi, will find a place in the Union Cabinet.

The chances, as BJP sources say, are 50:50. Yeddyurappa is fighting nine corruption related cases but charges have not been framed in any of them nor the BJP leader is convicted.

Talking to ET, Yeddyurappa said there are no legal hurdles to his inclusion into the Union Cabinet, and there have been appropriate directions from the higher courts about these cases.

A senior BJP leader, not wanting to be named, said party leaders had not been able to read Modi’s mind in Yeddyurappa’s case, and he may have strong arguments both in favour of and against his induction.

Modi’s Cabinet in Gujarat has two ministers fighting serious cases of corruption – one of them is even convicted, and has got a stay from the higher court. So there is a precedent.

According to sources in Delhi, Yeddyurappa walked alone from Karnatak Bhavan to Gujarat Bhavan on Sunday to meet Modi, to pay his respects as well as to plead his case.

Some in the party say it would be hard for Modi to ignore Yeddyurappa as he represents the dominant Lingayat community. And, when he assumed office in 2008, Yeddyurappa turned out to be the chief minister of south India’s first BJP government.

The other probable candidates from Karnataka are BJP national general secretary and Bangalore South MP Ananth Kumar, former chief minister and Bangalore North MP DV Sadananda Gowda and Bijapur MP Ramesh Jigajinagi. There is also a grapevine that Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Shobha Karandlaje also stands a chance under the women quota.

Karnataka BJP leaders have already met Modi, and party president Rajnath Singh asking for good representation for the southern state in the Union Cabinet on the grounds that the party has delivered 17 seats to the party.