Reverse Operation Lotus in Karnataka!
According to reports, three BJP MLAs and eight JD(S) MLAs voted for Congress candidates. This cross-voting helped Congress secure a strong victory despite the ruling party’s initial calculations.
Congress leaders have credited Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and state president BK Hariprasad for the successful strategy. The party managed to maintain its strength and even gained extra votes from other parties.
The results have come as a major embarrassment for the BJP-JD(S) alliance. BJP leaders have admitted that some of their MLAs indulged in cross-voting. The party has said that those involved in the betrayal will be identified and action will be taken.
JD(S) has also suffered a setback. The party’s candidate Govindraj could only manage 14 votes due to cross-voting.
Congress has now increased its strength in the Legislative Council to 39, while BJP’s strength has come down to 28 and JD(S) to 6.
DK Shivakumar described the victory as a result of the government’s welfare schemes and the support of MLAs from different parties. He said that neither he nor the party approached MLAs from other parties, as the voting was by secret ballot.
The cross-voting has raised serious questions about internal dissatisfaction within the BJP and JD(S). Both parties had kept their MLAs in separate resorts to prevent cross-voting, but the strategy failed.
This result is being seen as a significant boost for the Congress government in Karnataka ahead of future electoral battles.
