As Amit Shah embarks on two-day visit to Karnataka, BJP denies mulling over leadership change: Sources

Apr 01, 2022

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 1 : As Union Home Minister Amit Shah embarked on his two-day visit to Karnataka which is scheduled to go to Assembly polls next year, top BJP sources said that the party does not succumb to any pressure and is not mulling any change of leadership ahead of the crucial elections.
Shah arrived at the HAL airport in Bengaluru on Thursday late at night and was received by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and other leaders of the state.
The Home Minister will pay his tributes to Late Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swami on his 115th birth anniversary celebrations at Siddaganga Math at around 10.50 am. He will also attend other programmes in the state including the Foundation stone laying of the 200-bedded hospital in Sathya Sai Grama in Muddenahalli at around 2.20 pm, according to the Home Ministry.
Shah will also attend Karnataka State Cooperative Conference at around 4 pm in Bengaluru Palace.
Notably, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visit the Siddaganga Math on Thursday during his two-day visit to the state to "strengthen the party".
Also slated later in the day is a meeting with a BJP core group of the state.
The meeting assumes a lot of significance given the fact that there have been several rounds of speculations that there could be a change of leadership in the state including the Chief Minister as well as the party president.
Top sources in the BJP, while speaking to ANI, rubbished any possibility of a change of leadership in the state.
"There is no question of change of leadership in the state... The president (Nalin Kateel) has been given a term and he will definitely complete that," said the sources.
On the talks doing the round regarding the possible change of guard for Chief Minister, another source said that there will not be a change of Chief Minister under any pressure.
"This is BJP and not any other party and we do not change any Chief Minister under pressure... Bommai is a very experienced politician and a capable Chief Minister," said the source.
Home Minister Amit Shah will be participating in the core group meeting along with BJP general secretary Arun Singh who is in charge of Karnataka.