BSY-backed Sadananda Gowda elected next Karnataka CM

BS Yeddyurappa backed candidate DV Sadananda Gowda on Wednesday won the secret ballot for the post of the Karnataka chief minister. Gowda won the secret ballot by 8 votes, BJP sources told CNN-IBN.

Speaking to CNN-IBN, Dhananjaya Kumar confirmed Gowda's victory.

"Sadananda Gowda has been officially elected the Chief Minister of Karnataka. The party leadership has decided not to disclose the number of voted received by each candidate. There is no division within the party," BJP leader V Dhananjaya Kumar.

Kumar added that Yeddyurappa remained the tallest leader in Karnataka BJP and he would be back as the chief minister after his name is cleared in the illegal mining case.

"Yedyurappa is the mass leader in Karnataka. BJP cannot do away with Yeddyurappa and that has been established today. Once Yedyurappa's name is clear, he would like to come back," Kumar said.

"As of now nothing has been decided," Kumar replied when asked if Shettar would be made the deputy chief minister of the state.

58 year-old Sadananda Gowda, a lawyer by profession is a Lok Sabha MP from Udupi, Chikmagalur and is the former state BJP chief.

Yeddyurappa had been vouching for Gowda to be his successor since the time he decided to quit. "Sadananda Gowda is my choice," Yeddyurappa made it clear as he stepped down.

Yeddyurappa stepped down as the Karnataka Chief Minister after pressure from the BJP top brass following his indictment in the Karnataka Lokayukta report on illegal mining.