Bengaluru: The top leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party’s Karnataka unit have secretly began lobbying for the post of state BJP president, for which elections are due only next year.

The tenure of Lok Sabha member and senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi, who is the BJP State President now, will only get over in March, 2016. However, a discussion on the choice of successor has already surfaced with many leaders expressing interest to head the party.

There is a greater demand and lobby for the Karnataka BJP’s president post – since the state assembly elections are also due. With BJP getting majority in the centre under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the state BJP leaders are too hopeful of bringing BJP back to power in the state. Hence, Karnataka BJP president’s post will carry more power and responsibility.

Highly placed sources in the party said that former Chief Minister B.S Yeddyurappa is eyeing the post and is the first to start lobbying for it. Earlier, Yeddyurappa was appointed as the national vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party among eleven others, which is generally considered as a less powerful post.

On the top of it, B.S Yeddyurappa, who was not given a ministry in the Modi’s cabinet, has reportedly expressed desire to remain in the state and strengthen the party. “Give me the responsibility to build the BJP in Karnataka. If BJP comes to power, let the high command decide on the appointment of Chief Minister. My aim is not to become the Chief Minister but to bring BJP back to power”, a source in the BJP says roughly quoting the lines of Mr. Yeddyurappa, who is haunted by corruption cases against him.

Meanwhile, a few senior leaders too are lobbying for the post in their personal capacity. Besides, there is also a feeling in the BJP that Yeddyurappa will not only head the party but also  hold the post of Chief Minister, if the party comes to power. A report also states Shobha Karandlaje, Member of Parliament (MP) should be given a chance to hold the party’s top post, if not Yeddyurappa.

A Kannada daily stated that all those BJP party leaders who do not like to work under Yeddyurappa, are not keen to even work under Ms. Karandlaje. On the other hand, former ministers such as R. Ashok, C.T Ravi and Aravind Limbavalli too expressed the desire to hold the post, if given a chance.

More importantly, Union Minister Ananth Kumar and D.V Sadananda Gowda, who are given ‘less powerful ministry’, are planning to come back to the state and work for the party.