New Delhi: With the second anniversary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP_ government in Karnataka just two days away (on July 26), speculation is rife about the incumbent chief minister, 78-year-old B.S. Yediyurappa, being dropped in favour of a ‘young’ leader.The state is set to go for assembly elections in 2023. In the last polls, the BJP failed to get a simple majority in the 224-member assembly, leading the Congress and the Janata Dal (United) to come together to form a government with JD(U) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy as the chief minister. However, a year later, in July 2019, the government fell after some Congress and JD(U) MLAs resigned from the house. They soon joined the BJP and contested the by-polls and thereafter became a part of the Yediyurappa government.The Wire’s recent joint global investigation based on leaked data of the Indian client(s) of the Israeli company NSO Group has indicated possible surveillance of the top Congress and JD(U) leaders through the spyware Pegasus in the run-up to the fall of the Kumaraswamy government. The NSO Group, in its past statements, has said that it sells the military grade spyware meant for national security only to “vetted governments”. The Narendra Modi government is so far quiet about whether it uses the spyware.Though a section of the BJP in Karnataka has been demanding a change of chief minister for some time, Yediyurappa has so far been successful in dislodging it. However, speculation about the change of guard picked up pace with Yediyurappa flying to New Delhi to engage in a close-door meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, among other top BJP leaders on July 16.After returning to Bengaluru, the chief minister, on July 17, told local reporters, “For now I have been asked to continue as the chief minister.”The news report said, “The operative word is ‘for now’. Sources in the BJP said Yediyurappa would be allowed to complete two years in office by the end of July after which he will cite health concerns and make way for a replacement.”The report also said, “While some in the party suggested that he might be appointed as the governor of Andhra Pradesh, Yediyurappa has been consistent in reiterating that he would help the party return to power in Karnataka with more seats in the next assembly and Lok Sabha elections.”The chief minister’s statement gained more credence after state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel’s purported audio conversation became public, where he allegedly said that the Central leadership would soon select a new chief minister – on who is “honest, pro-Hindu, and capable of bringing BJP back to power”.On July 21, Yediyurappa, a formidable leader of the majority Lingayat community, cancelled the BJP legislative party meeting called for July 26 to mark the second anniversary of his government. He had called for that meeting after returning from New Delhi, adding to the speculation that a new leader would likely be elected in that forum to lead the government. According to news reports, the chief minister had called the MLAs for a dinner meet instead. News reports later said the dinner meeting too had been postponed and a new one is yet to be fixed.Quoting an unnamed party legislator, the Hindustan Times said, “Some BJP leaders say the cancellation is Yediyurappa’s message that a leadership change is not imminent.”The legislator had told the newspaper, “You have seen the developments in the last few days. People are rallying behind the chief minister.” He was particularly referring to a number of seers from the Lingayat community visiting Yediyurappa to show their support to him for a full term.On July 22 though, Yediyurappa, breaking his silence on the matter, told reporters that he was “waiting for directions from the party’s high command” on the matter.“The party has not given any post to anyone above the self imposed age limit of 75 years. But appreciating my work the party has made me the chief minister of the state and I am thankful for the same. This month, I will complete two years as chief minister on the 26th and have organised a programme to showcase our achievements. I will act as per directions from the party’s central leadership, whatever that is on July 25. I will begin my work from 26th as per those directions,” he reportedly said.A day before, he took to Twitter too to appeal to his supporters not to hold any protests on his behalf. This was after some organisations supporting him had called for a statewide protest demanding that he be allowed to complete his term as chief minister.Meanwhile, speculation in the media is on about who would have the Central leadership’s blessings to be the possible chief ministerial face. From the Lingayat community itself, three names have been doing the rounds – the present home minister Basavarai Bommai, the present mines minister Murugesh Nirani and Arvind Bellard, a two-time MLA.From the Vokkaliga community, there are two names – C.T. Ravi and C.N. Aswanth Narayan. Among the Brahmins, names of present minister in the Modi government Prahlad Joshi and BJP organisation national secretary B.L. Santosh are doing the rounds as frontrunners for the post.