Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa earned a reprieve today when party dissidents Janardhana Reddy and B Sriramulu, after days of fighting in the open, appeared along with him in a show of unity at the residence of BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, and later at the residence of L K Advani. Yeddyurappa called the unity show a “birthday gift” for Advani who turned 83 today.

While the exit of Shobha Karandlaje from the state Cabinet is imminent, the CM, who had recently replaced the district officials of Bellary, would now replace them with another set of officials “who would be selected in consultation” with Janardhana and Karunakara Reddy, both ministers in his cabinet.

Janardhana told The Indian Express that he was “happy” with the compromise formula; in private, the dissident camp claimed that it’s only a “temporary truce”, and that “Yeddyurappa would be under watch over the next six months”.

A coordination committee, comprising state and central BJP leaders, would be in place to oversee the “reconciliation process”. Sriramulu also claimed that “there will now be two observers for Karnataka — Arun Jaitely and Sushma Swaraj”.

Sources said what prompted the Reddy brothers to back down from their demand for a change in leadership was a meeting with Jagadish Shettar on Saturday. “Shettar, a Lingayat like Yeddyurappa, told the Reddys that his reputation had been spoilt by the poor strategy adopted by the Reddys,” sources said. Sources close to Shettar said he would continue to function as the Speaker, “considering the fluid situation in the state”.

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