MYSURU/BENGALURU: The BJP managed to use dissent within the Congress-JDS coalition effectively to come to power, but the story doesn’t end there. Now, to strengthen its roots in the Vokkaliga heartland in the Old Mysore region, the BJP is all set to cash in yet again on the dissent brewing in the opposition, especially the JDS.
With its eyes set on roping in prominent leaders in the old Mysuru region, round II of operation lotus is likely to take off closer to the bypolls. The flak the BJP received the first time around seems to be making little or no difference for the party as it is gearing up for one more round.
A group of at least 25 MLA’s, who are apparently fed up with their leadership and the drubbing both parties received in the Lok Sabha elections, are keen to desert the JDS ship and find a new future in the BJP. The saffron party’s leaders, who coordinated with disqualified MLAs the first time around, are once again in the background. While GT Devegowda has been dropping hints of warming up to the BJP, newly appointed State President and HD Deve Gowda’s close aide HK Kumaraswamy’s name is doing the rounds as well.
With its focus firmly on wooing Vokkaligas, the BJP is deploying its prominent Vokkaliga faces to smoothen the transition, party insiders suggest. Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayana, who was instrumental in bringing the coalition numbers down, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, Hassan MLA Preetam Gowda seem to be the party’s pick. Not willing to sideline the prominent OBC and SC/ST voters, the party is hoping to use Chamarajanagar MP Srinivas Prasad and Gundlupet MLA Niranjan Kumar as well as disqualified MLAs A H Vishwanath and Narayana Gowda to woo leaders and workers of the opposition.
While murmurs of operation Lotus 2.0 are doing the rounds, the BJP remains guarded on record. “We are aware that many opposition MLAs are interested to join the BJP. The party is neither interested nor has opened its doors to fence-sitters or disgruntled JDS MLAs. Such a situation hasn’t risen,” said N Ravikumar, MLC and general secretary of the BJP.
However, GT Devegowda was not so tacit and admitted that many within the party are contemplating jumping ship. “Many including H K Kumaraswamy approached me with a request asking me to take the lead. Some suggested that efforts be made to help 23 MLAs defect to the BJP to duck action under anti-defection law but I did not oblige. I am not in touch with any of the JDS MLAs,” he said.