Karnataka polls a test case for Amit Shah: Many big guns training in run-up

CM candidate Yeddyurappa is over 75, past the BJP's age cap for holding office, but his caste antecedent recommended him for the CM position; also, he lacks the Karnataka BJP's unqualified support

B S Yeddyurappa might be the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) declared chief-ministerial candidate for Karnataka Assembly election 2018 but his position is by no means as secure as Sarbananda Sonowal’s when the latter was positioned for the top job before the Assam state election. The shadow of the former Congressman Himanta Biswa Sarma — who has since become the BJP’s ace strategist in the Northeast – loomed large over Sonowal. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah went out of their way to ensure that Sarma did not become a threat to Sonowal.