As the B S Yeddyurappa saga finally comes close to end with the man himself deciding to tender his resignation, the fight now shifts to the rest of the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders who are aspiring to become the next chief minister of Karnataka.
Sources in the state BJP say that the name of the final candidate has not been finalised yet, but there would be some clarity on the same by Friday when senior leaders Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley will visit Bengaluru to take a decision on the same.
The three very strong contenders at the moment are Sadanand Gowda, Dr V S Acharya and Jagadish Shettar.
However, the BJP could spring up a surprise if they decide to go with Ananth Kumar, R Ashok or even Shobha Karandlage. While the BJP is expected to finalise three names, there is every possibility that they may make a final announcement by Saturday only.
When contacted, MP from Udupi Chikmagalur Sadananda Gowda said, "I am not a frontrunner to the post. But if the party high command thinks I am suited for the post, then I am ready to take it up."
Dr Acharya, on the other hand, said, "There is no decision made as yet. Let us see what our senior leaders have to say. Wait till tomorrow and there will be clarity on the issue."
Although Jagadish Shettar has not spoken to the media about this issue, his close aides said that he is ready to take up the post in case the high command wants him to.
Meanwhile, the other three have not commented on the issue and are still waiting for the leaders from New Delhi to come down and take a decision.
Party sources said that Shobha Karandlage, who is being backed by Yeddyurappa, has also decided to abide by whatever the high command has to say.
During the meeting held on Thursday in Bengaluru, this is exactly what she conveyed to the rest of the leaders and also told them it is very important to keep the party united at this juncture.
She also urged the leaders not to go against the high command since it would dent the image of BJP.
