BENGALURU: A delegation of BJP leaders from Karnataka, including party state president BY Vijayendra and Leader of Opposition in Assembly R Ashoka, met BJP National President Nitin Nabin in New Delhi on Tuesday and apprised him of cross-voting by party legislators in the June 18 MLC polls held for seven seats.
The delegation that also had Assembly Chief Whip Doddanagouda H Patil and Council Chief Whip N Ravikumar met Nitin at the party headquarters in Delhi and held discussions for about 30 minutes.
Congress won five of the seven Council seats, while the opposition BJP won two. The results clearly revealed cross-voting by BJP and JDS legislators in favour of Congress candidates, as the ruling party received 151 votes — 11 more than the expected 140.
“Our party chief said the high command has taken the issue seriously and assured that strict decisions will have to be taken against those who have done injustice and betrayed the party. He (Nitin) gave organisational suggestions to strengthen the party and work in unity to bring the party to power in the state,” Vijayendra told reporters after meeting Nitin.
Ashoka said Nitin had gathered information on cross-voting even before the state delegation met him. “He assured us that based on our information, suitable action will be taken (against the guilty) at the right time,” he added.
Sources said the two leaders submitted a list of three to four suspected party MLAs who might have cross-voted.
The BJP leadership also suspects that cross-voting could be the handiwork of some MLAs who betrayed the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The MLAs have done this as they know that they will not get party tickets in the 2028 Assembly polls and are planning to join Congress, sources indicated.
The party top brass has taken note of former chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda reportedly claiming that he knew about cross-voting even before the elections. He had reportedly said that a few BJP MLAs had huddled in a Bengaluru hotel before the polls. Gowda had also said the BJP state chief and LoP in the Assembly did not answer his calls.
The BJP state unit had earlier set up a panel headed by MLC CT Ravi to probe cross-voting. Ravi told reporters on Tuesday that his committee has gathered certain information and will submit its report to both the state and national party presidents soon.
“If those who have won on a BJP ticket betray their mother (party) then they should not be forgiven under any circumstances. Two MLAs (ST Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar, who have been expelled from the party) openly voted for Congress. They go around talking about it without any shame and without any self-respect. They should leave the party or resign,” Union MoS for MSMEs Shoba Karandlaje said.
No BJPLP in Dharmasthala
The BJP high command also reportedly instructed Vijayendra not to hold the BJP Legislature Party meeting in Dharmasthala. Vijayendra had planned to hold the meeting at the Sri Manjunatha Swamy Temple as he wanted to ask all the 63 BJP MLAs to take a sacred vow before Lord Manjunatha saying they had not cross-voted. But the idea has since been dropped as he faced criticism from within the party.
