BJP summons Karnataka leaders to Delhi after cross-voting in Council polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president has summoned the party's Karnataka state unit chief B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok, and state in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal to Delhi on June 23. The meeting follows cross-voting in the recently concluded Legislative Council elections in Karnataka, which has caused concern within the party.

According to multiple party sources, the high command is unhappy with the development, and this could lead to a reshuffle of the state leadership. The state unit had on June 19 formed a fact-finding committee led by MLC C.T. Ravi, along with members N. Mahesh and Mahesh Tenginakayi, to identify those who cross-voted. However, since Council elections are conducted by secret ballot, identifying the cross voters is challenging.

BJP state chief Mr. Vijayendra initially stated that three party members had cross-voted, but later revised the number to "four to five." This discrepancy suggests that some MLAs allocated to vote for the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) candidate may have also cross-voted. The BJP had allocated 30 MLAs to vote for its candidate Lingaraj Patil, but he received only 27 votes, indicating at least three cross voters from the party. Additionally, votes from four MLAs, including expelled MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, were allocated to the JD(S) candidate, but that candidate received only 14 votes against the expected 18 from JD(S) MLAs, indicating cross-voting from both sides.

Chandru Lamani, a BJP MLA from Shirahatti who was among those allocated to vote for the JD(S) candidate, denied cross-voting and said he and another MLA had "honestly" voted for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate. He expressed embarrassment over media speculation.

Mr. Vijayendra accused the Congress of spreading rumours about cross voters to create division within the BJP. He said, "There is no question of sparing those who betrayed the party and cross-voted. They cannot hide forever. The fact-finding committee will uncover them and subsequent to that, the party will take stringent action."

Meanwhile, internal factionalism within the Karnataka BJP is believed to have played a role. Sources indicated that the selection of candidates for both the Rajya Sabha and Council elections favoured one faction, causing discontent among others. The party's candidate in the Council elections, Lingaraj Patil from Hubballi, was from a particular faction, while the other faction had backed a different candidate. This has raised concerns about unity within the state unit.