Bangalore:

After being routed in the Karnataka Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party seems to be all set to welcome back former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa. But, both the party and Yeddyurappa don't want to be seen as taking the first move.

While a section of the party led by former chief minister Sadananda Gowda wants the Lingayat strongman back, there seems to be a clear opposition by those close to BJP leader Ananth Kumar.

"Yeddyurappa has not contacted us about joining the party. He left the party on his own so if he wants to join back, he should make the move first," BJP General Secretary Thawar Chand Gehlot said.

In the recent Assembly polls, both Yeddyurappa and the BJP together managed to get only 46 seats. But now with the Lok Sabha elections approaching, both sides know they don't have a real chance unless they stand united.

"Making a statement that Yeddyurappa should make the move first is not easy. He's a mass leader and on his own he took 10 per cent of the vote share and he wants to strengthen the party but well wishers of the party including me are putting pressure on him. We have the national interest in our mind," Member of Legislative Council in Karnataka Lehar Singh said.

But what is working in favour of Yeddyurappa's return is the changed equations in BJP 's central leadership. The Ananth Kumar faction drew strength from party leaders like LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj. But with Rajnath singh and Narendra modi now calling the shots, it looks like Yeddyurappa could well lead BJP's Karnataka campaign in 2013.

source:http://ibnlive.in.com