Energy minister Shobha Karandlaje’s visit to Delhi in the midst of the crisis in the state BJP, has led to speculation that she was in the national capital on behalf of former CM B.S. Yeddyurappa and was carrying a message from him, meant for the party top brass. AS part of her itinerary, Ms Karandlaje met Union power minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde and discussed several issues pertaining to the power sector. Sources in the Yeddyurappa camp said this could be just an excuse for visiting Delhi while the real purpose was to brief the party president about the series of meetings BSY held and the feedback he received during the interaction with party MLAs. Mr Yeddyurappa has reportedly sent a message that the majority of BJP MLAs are not opposed to his return as CM displacing incumbent, Sadananda Gowda.

With Mr Gadkari scheduled to arrive here on Thursday to address party legislators during a two-day Chintan Mantan programme, Ms Karandlaje’s visit assumes significance. The energy minister discussed the issue of congestion in the transmission corridor which is preventing Karnataka from availing power from the eastern, western and northern regions. She also demanded allocation of an additional 300-500MW to Karnataka from the unallocated share of central generating stations.