These are top contenders for the Karnataka Chief Minister's post

With BS Yediyurappa resigning from the Karnataka Chief Minister's post on the day when the BJP government completed two years in power, the party high command has gone into a huddle to zero in on his successor.

The names of Murugesh Nirani, CN Ashwath Narayan, Prahalad Joshi, CT Ravi, Aravind Bellad and Basavaraj Bommai are in the fray to take over the chief minister's chair.

Also Read: 'Yediyurappa's exit will shrink BJP's social base'

Ashwath Narayan and Basavaraj Bommai are believed to be part of Yediyurappa's camp, while others in the fray are either identified with the central leadership or groomed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Murugesh Nirani

The 55-year-old three-term MLA represents Bilgi in North Karnataka and is the minister for Mines and Geology in the present government. He had also served as Sugar and Industries Minister during Yediyurappa's earlier tenure as chief minister between 2008-2010.

Nirani is from the Panchamasali section of the Lingayat community. He will have to lobby hard to get into the current Cabinet. He was absorbed into the state cabinet during the recent reshuffle only after central leaders' intervention. Being a Lingayat may work to Nirani's advantage as the party may not want to antagonize the dominant caste.

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Dr CN Ashwath Narayan

Another name that is also doing rounds is that of Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan. Ashwath Narayan is also a three-time MLA from Malleshwaram. Narayan is from the Vokkaliga caste, which is the second dominant caste in the state. The Vokkaligas are prominent by and large in the old Mysore region. 

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Pralhad Joshi

The central minister and former BJP state president represents the Hubli-Dharwad Lok Sabha segment. Pralhad is a Brahmin and enjoys much support in the Lingayat circles. His election victories over rivals in Congress and JD-S since 2004 is proof of that. 

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CT Ravi

The firebrand Hindutva leader was once a Yediyurappa loyalist and belongs to the Vokkaliga caste. Ravi represents the Chikkamagaluru assembly constituency and is a four-time MLA. In 2012, when the BJP was nearing its first-ever term in power in south India, Ravi was made Higher Education Minister. After the downfall of the JDS-Congress government, he was appointed as the Tourism Minister and also elevated to the party General Secretary's post. 

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Aravind Bellad

A two-time MLA but a relatively lesser-known face in the state unit, 51-year-old Bellad represents the Dharwad-West Assembly segment. What could work in his favour is the fact that he comes from the Lingayat caste and closely abides by RSS principles. 

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Basavaraj Bommai

Son of former state chief minister SR Bommai, Basavaraj is another name doing the rounds for the CM's post. The 61-year-old Lingayat leader is a mechanical engineer and began his political career with Janata Dal and in 2008.