‘Party will take action against MLAs involved in cross-voting in MLC polls’: BJP MLA Ashwath Narayan

BENGALURU: Malleswaram BJP MLA Ashwath Narayan on Wednesday said that the party will take action against those found responsible for cross-voting in the Legislative Council elections, after the special committee submits its report.

The BJP has formed a three-member committee headed by MLC CT Ravi to probe the cross-voting and is expected to submit its findings by June 25.

Ashwath Narayan told reporters in Bengaluru, “The party has constituted a special committee to investigate the issue of cross-voting, and further action will be taken after the committee submits its report. The committee has been entrusted with the responsibility of identifying those involved in cross-voting and verifying the facts surrounding the allegations.”

“Once comprehensive information is received, the party will take appropriate action against those found responsible,” he added.

While the BJP won two seats in the June 18 MLC polls, the BJP-JD(S) coalition was embarrassed as Congress secured five seats, with 16 votes more than expected.

On Tuesday, the BJP’s central leadership held a high-level meeting at the party headquarters in New Delhi to address the fallout from the recent Legislative Council elections.

The meeting, chaired by BJP National President Nitin Nabin, was attended by top Karnataka unit leaders, including BJP state President BY Vijayandra, LoP R Ashok, state incharge Radha Mohan Das Aggarwal, and General Secretary (org) BL Santhosh.

According to the top BJP source, “a meeting that lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours focused extensively on the issue of alleged cross-voting during the Karnataka Legislative Council elections.”

The meeting also discussed the role of alliance partner JD(S) in the election. BJP leaders informed the central leadership that JD(S) lacked the numbers required to ensure the victory of its candidate but chose to field one, ultimately resulting in a defeat.

Sources further said that BJP leaders had cautioned the JD(S) leadership about growing dissatisfaction among some of its MLAs. The issue had been flagged before the election, but the warnings were not acted upon, contributing to the eventual outcome. (ANI)