Bengaluru: The incumbent Karnataka BJP president and the chief minister aspirant BS Yeddyurappa and his camp were on top of the world when HD Kumaraswamy put in his papers after he lost the trust vote on Tuesday, July 23.

But in a span of 24-48 hours, the euphoria has given rise to sadness, as the BJP top brass, headed by party’s national president Amit Shah has refused to green-signal the formation of a BJP government in the state.

Well, at a time when the top brass should be more than happy to form a government down south, why is Shah pussy-footing on the issue?

Here are the reasons:

1. Amit Shah not ready to trust the rebel MLAs

Though it is a welcome move for the BJP that MLAs from both the Congress and JD(S) have resigned from their parties, jumping to the conclusion that it bodes well for the saffron party is tad dangerous. The party chief is said to have openly told the BJP state delegation meeting him in Delhi that it would be too risky for the saffron party to trust the rebels. In the event of not making them ministers, there is a high probability that they may quit the party, thereby weakening a prospective BJP government.

2. Rewarding rebels with ministries would create dissent

In case the state BJP goes ahead and rewards the 15 rebels with ministries, Shah is of the opinion that the rebels will have all the ministries, which doesn’t add credibility to the government.

3. Rewarding the MLAs with ministries invites disgruntlement

Continuing with the earlier point, if the rebel MLAs are accommodated with ministries, it means disgruntlement for the loyal members of the BJP, who have been in the party for a long time. And if they decide to quit the party, it would be not just an embarrassment for the party and weaken the government further.

4. Without Speaker yet to take a decision, forming a government would not be wise

It is learnt that Shah is not happy with the prospect of staking claim at a time when the fate of the rebel MLAs hangs in the balance. Moreover, Speaker Ramesh Kumar is yet to take a call on the resignations. Whether he accepts them or rejects them is a moot point. And talking of disqualification, the Speaker is again yet to take a call.

Keeping all these in mind, the chances of Yeddyurappa becoming the chief minister are bleak.