BJP summons Karnataka leaders over cross-voting in council polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) national leadership has summoned Karnataka unit chief Vijayendra Yediyurappa and the state's Leader of Opposition, R Ashoka, to account for cross-voting in the recent legislative council elections. This move follows the opposition Congress's gain of a majority in the council, a development that has heightened concerns within the BJP about the consolidation of power by Chief Minister D K Sivakumar's administration.

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This is a serious breach of party discipline. Such instances are unheard of in the BJP. But more than just being a violation of the party’s discipline it shows the lack of leadership in the state.

Party leaders fear that internal divisions and a perceived lack of strong leadership in Karnataka could undermine the BJP's cadre and its prospects for regaining power in the 2028 assembly elections. A BJP functionary in Delhi characterized the cross-voting as a "serious breach of party discipline" and indicative of "lack of leadership in the state." The incident saw at least 11 legislators from the BJP and its ally, the Janata Dal (Secular), cast votes that benefited the Congress, securing them an unexpected fifth seat.

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The instance has exposed the chinks in the BJP’s armour. The state leadership needs to explain why the disgruntlement within the unit has not been addressed and how this has ended up helping the opposition. From what we have heard, between 5 to 6 MLAs have cross-voted.

While Vijayendra stated that stern action would be taken against MLAs who defied the party line, sources within the party suggest that the state leadership's failure to address internal dissent may have contributed to the situation. There is also speculation that national leadership has, in some ways, undermined Vijayendra's position, particularly regarding the delay in announcing his reappointment as state president. The cross-voting has intensified discussions about organizational appointments, with rumors of a new state in-charge and opposition leader potentially being named soon.

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...yesterday, during the voting, there were six to seven cross-votes from the JD(S) side as well. From BJP too, at least four to five cross-votes have happened. There is no question of forgiving the MLAs in our party who have cross-voted. They will not be forgiven. We also have some information on who might have played this game.