BS Yediyurappa has resigned as Karnataka CM. Who after him? is the big question in the southern state. Here are some probables who may replace the veteran as CM.
The frontrunner is Basavaraj Bommai, who is presently the home minister of Karnataka and close to Yediyurappa. He come from the Lingayat community that forms the backbone of BJP's vote bank in the state.
Then there is another influential Lingayat leader Murugesh Nirani who is presently the mines minister. He is a three-time MLA and started his public life with the RSS in the 1990s.
Arvind Bellad's name is also in contention. Son of senior legislator Chandrakant Bellad, Bellad reportedly has the backing of the RSS because of his clean image.
Prominent Vokkaliga leader CT Ravi, who is currently the national general secretary of the BJP, is also in the running. The four-time MLA is seen as a staunch Hindutva follower and recently resigned as a minister in the state government to take up party role.
Union Parliamentary Affairs minister Prahlad Joshi may also get the state top job. Joshi is also close to the RSS and is reportedly seen as an able administrator within the government.