Shettar elected Karnataka BJP legislature party leader

Bangalore, July 10 (IANS) After day-long hankering over power spoils, Karnataka's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party Tuesday elected Rural Development Minister Jagadish Shettar as leader of its legislature wing, paving the way for him become chief minister replacing D. V. Sadananda Gowda.

Shettar will take oath Wednesday morning, a spokesman for the party told reporters after the meeting which was held five hours after the scheduled time as Gowda's supporters wanted the party to announce his appointment as state party chief and also create two posts of deputy chief ministers.

The meeting was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday but was convened only around 4 p.m. as party's senior leaders Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh brokered peace between the warring factions led by Gowda and state BJP chief K.S. Eshwarappa on one side and former chief minister B. S. Yeddyurappa on the other.

A decision on the number of deputy chief ministers and who will hold the posts as also a position for Gowda would be announced after further meetings in New Delhi, party sources said.