Won't return to BJP, it has no existence in Karnataka without me, says BSY

Bangalore, May 9: Even though BS Yeddyurappa's Karnataka Janatha Paksha failed to make a big splash in the Assembly elections and could win just six seats, the former chief minister boasted that he was responsible for Bharatiya Janata Party's rout in the state.

Declaring that he would not return to the BJP, Yeddyurappa on Thursday said the party has "no existence in Karnataka" without him. "I hope BJP leaders don't come to me and request me to come back because I am not going back. BJP is no longer a big party in Karnataka," said the KJP president. "I already have half the electoral votes of BJP," he added.

He also took credit for Congress's victory in the state saying "Congress won in Karnataka because we split BJP votes in the state". Yeddyurappa said he was happy with the response his party received in the Karnataka elections. "We faced many crises. There was a controversy over party symbol and we had less than one month to prepare ourselves still we got 10 per cent votes. I can't say we did badly," said the former Karnataka chief minister.

While Yeddyurappa retained his home seat of Shikaripura in Shimoga district in the Karnataka elections, he suffered a massive defeat personally when his staunch loyalist and the only woman minister in the BJP government Shobha Karandlaje was relegated to third place in Rajajinagar in Bangalore. He had pitted her against Law Minister S Suresh Kumar who retained the seat. The Congress took second place.

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