Bangalore, July 31 (IANS) Lawmakers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will meet here Aug 3 to elect a new leader to form the second government in the state following resignation of scam-ht Chief Minister B.S.Yeddyurappa, a party official said Sunday.


“The BJP legislature party meeting will be held here Aug 3 at 11 a.m. to elect the new leader as talks among the leaders and legislators are still in progress,” the party’s general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters here after four-hour long discussions to choose a consensus leader ended in a deadlock.

Soon after Yeddyurappa, the BJP’s first chief minister in south India, resigned from the post in the evening, the party’s central observers Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh held prolonged discussions with the party’s state unit leaders and legislators to resolve the leadership issue.

With Yeddyurappa insisting on the election of his nominee - Lok Sabha member D.V. Sadananda Gowda - as the new leader and other leaders, including the party’s general secretary H.N. Anantha Kumar pitching for Rural Development Minister Jagadish Shettar, the observers failed to resolve the deadlock.

“The talks will continue between the leaders and legislators to resolve the issue and arrive at a consensus so that the legislature party meeting can be held Wednesday for the smooth election of the new leader,” Pradhan added.