Bangalore:
The central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may have averted the crisis in Karnataka for the time being by buying some time from its rebel leaders, but its decision on - whether the state will get a new Chief Minister or continue with the current one - is widely awaited by political factions in the state.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa's camp wants Sadananda Gowda to be replaced as the Chief Minister with Lingayat leader Jagadish Shettar, who is one of the nine ministers who had given resignation letters last week.
After a quick trip to Delhi, where he met the BJP top brass and attended party president Nitin Gadkari's son's wedding, Mr Gowda is back in the state. With his famous smile firmly in place, Mr Gowda indicated that he is prepared for any decision by the BJP high command.
"We don't know what will be sweet or what will be bitter. That will take four to five days - we still don't know...but from my part it will be neither sweet nor bitter. It is part of daily life. I am ready for any decision. I will not treat any decision as either sweet or bitter," Mr Gowda told reporters today.
"In no way was I hurt, in no way was I troubled. I am very happy. Really, my central leaders ought to have done this earlier. In various occasions, they ought to have called us and discussed with us. And they would have come to a conclusion. But the delay by the central leaders practically it has little bit accelerated the situation," said Mr Gowda.
Could this be read as the possibility of Gowda being asked to go?
The rival camp, led by former Mr Yeddyurappa, would be hoping they have convinced party leaders to replace Mr Gowda with the man of their choice, Mr Shettar.
"Jagadish Shettar has brought the political situation to the attention of our leaders. In the same way Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda and party president Eshwarappa have also spoken to them. There have been two rounds of talk in Delhi. In a few days there will be a solution to the political developments," said Basavaraj Bommai, a Yeddyurappa loyalist.
Both sides have said that they will quietly accept whatever their leaders decide. But considering the drama that has surrounded the whole issue in the state, nothing can be taken for granted.
For now, the BJP high command finds itself in an unenviable situation after promising an amiable solution to the crisis; not an ideal situation with less than a year to elections in the state.