Amid speculation that the political road of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was heading to a dead-end, the BJP’s state executive committee expressed total confidence in the Lingayat leader and said that he will continue to be at the helm. The executive committee, which met in Mangaluru Thursday, dismissed all the rumors and predictions of opposition leaders like former chief minister and leader of opposition Siddarmaiah that Yediyurappa would soon be replaced. State BJP vice-president Arvind Limbavali dismissed reports that the party was considering replacing Yediyurappa. “The party and the core committee are solidly behind Yediyurappa and he will continue to head the state government for the next two and a half years,” he said. Siddaramaiah had twice claimed that he had learned from his sources in Delhi that the BJP was looking beyond Yediyurappa. There have been similar statements from within the BJP camp with senior leaders like MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal stating that Yediyurappa’s days as CM were numbered. Senior BJP leaders from north Karnataka had recently met in Hubbali to reportedly find a replacement for Yediyurappa. However, Limbavali dismissed all this saying that the topic about Yediyurappa’s leadership was not even a topic for discussion in the party. He joined a long list of senior BJP members, including Union minister Pralhad Joshi, who have publicly backed the CM in recent weeks. Tamil Nadu government denies permission to BJP for ‘Vetri Vel Yatra’ Kamal Haasan to contest assembly elections in 2021, says, 'I will demand support from Rajinikanth' TN CM appeals states to lift ban on crackers