BJP MLA cross votes in favour of Congress in Karnataka
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Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah (file photo)
During the Rajya Sabha polls in Karnataka on Tuesday, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA ST Somashekar Gowda was reported to have cross-voted, according to party chief whip Doddanagouda G Patil while speaking to ANI.
The elections for Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh took place on the same day, with voting underway for ten seats in Uttar Pradesh, four seats in Karnataka, and one seat in Himachal Pradesh.
To secure a seat in the Upper House of Parliament, a candidate in Karnataka must garner 45 votes out of the 224-member Assembly.
In the state, five candidates are vying for the seats: Ajay Maken, Syed Naseer Hussain, and GC Chandrasekhar representing the Congress, Narayansa Bhandage from the BJP, and Kupendra Reddy from the Janata Dal (Secular).
Confirming the cross-voting, Patil informed ANI, "ST Somashekar has indeed cross-voted. We are deliberating on the appropriate course of action."
Another BJP MLA, Basanagouda R Patil, acknowledged that such occurrences are not uncommon in politics but emphasized that Somashekar should have adhered to the party's directive.
Ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls, the Congress relocated all its MLAs to a private resort on Monday to prevent potential cross-voting.
Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara expressed confidence in the Congress winning all three seats. He explained, "We suspected cross-voting because the BJP and JD(S) were attempting to influence our MLAs by contacting them. Given our past experience, we decided to keep our MLAs together as a precautionary measure."