B S Yeddyurappa will rejoin Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has also initiated proceedings to merge his party Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) with BJP.
The formal invitation to Yeddyurappa came on Thursday from party leaders Prahlad Joshi and Anant Kumar. The development came after six months of talks with BJP and KJP leaders.
Yeddyurappa flanked by a few senior leaders of KJP met Speaker Kagodu Timmappa to submit a letter stating that both parties had decided on a merger.
"I have handed over our resolution to the speaker. We have appealed to recognise KJP legislators as BJP legislators and provide them seats in the House along with BJP group," the Deccan Herald quoted Yeddyurappa.
The Speaker now requires a letter of confirmation from BJP before making his decision on the merger.
If the merger comes through, BJP will become the principal opposition in the Legislative Assembly, with 44 seats including four seats of KJP. JDS which is presently the main opposition, has secured 40 seats in the polls.
"We whole-heartedly welcome Yeddyurappa, who was one of the persons who built the party in the state. He has placed no conditions and together we'll build the party again. The state tour starts on Friday," BJP president Prahlad Joshi told The Times of India.
Yeddyurappa has been one of the leaders who have been instrumental in the growth of BJP's popularity in Karnataka. His fallout with H D Kumaraswamy of Janata Dal- Secular (JDS) during the coalition government of BJP and JDS in 2006 amplified his popularity, eventually resulting in BJP's rule in Karnataka. This was the first time BJP had come to power in a South Indian state and Yeddyurappa was the blue eyed boy who had achieved it.
However, fights in the party resulted in Yeddyurappa stepping down from chief minister's post, after which he went on to form Karnataka Janata Paksha in April 2011. Power-hungry Yeddyurappa is also said to have caused discomfort to the national leaders during his fight to remain the chief minister of Karnataka.
