From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Feb 27: Even before the results of the biennial elections to Rajya Sabha were announced from the State Assembly, JD(S) held a protest against BJP’s Yeshwanthpur MLA S T Somashekar for cross-voting against BJP’s whip to vote as directed by the party.
Somashekar, who is annoyed with BJP, is reportedly hobnobbing with the ruling Congress and is rumoured to be inching towards the Congress. He has
reportedly defied the BJP whip in the Rajya Sabha polls.
The JD(S), which fought last year’s State Assembly polls on its own, has joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by BJP ahead of this year’s Lok Sabha polls, had fielded its candidate in the Council polls in alliance with BJP and has been associating with BJP activities. It has also fielded an extra candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls, though the Congress and BJP are in a position to win three and one seats respectively with BJP left with surplus votes.
However, the JD(S) with barely 19 members is not in a position to get its candidate elected. The JD(S) has fielded real estate bigwig and former Rajya Sabha
member Kupendra Reddy with the hope of luring votes from unhappy Congress MLAs and also count on its own 19 and the surplus votes from BJP.
"We condemned the self-seeking action of Somashekar in cross voting against BJP’s whip," said JD(S) leader H M Ramesh Gowda, former MLA and City JDS president.
HDK claims Cong fathered Conscience, Cross Voting
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, who is visibly upset at the Rajya Sabha elections and the failure of the experiment of fielding the fifth candidate, lambasted
the ruling Congress party and said that "Congress fathered the menace of cross voting and conscience voting."
Terming the Congress as the biggest black spot in Indian politics, Kumaraswamy alleged that the ruling party "engineered cross-voting by BJP MLAs" and ridiculed the Congress government’s swearing by the Constitution.
The JD(S) leader said former prime minister Indira Gandhi had coined the term "conscience vote" which is nothing but cross voting as she wanted a pliant
President in V V Giri against the then official Congress candidate Neelam Sanjiva Reddy in 1969.
He, however, claimed that the BJP-JD(S) alliance has become stronger after the Rajya Sabha polls and said neither BJP nor JD(S) has suffered. "We will show the real game in the Lok Sabha polls," he warned.
Kumaraswamy alleged that the ruling Congress party tried to lure 19 MLAs from JD(S) by falsely claiming that 12 MLAs have already decided to switch loyalties.
"I am grateful to all the 19 JD(S) MLAs and BJP MLAs who voted in favour of Kupendra Reddy," he added.
‘Unity, not victory our priority,’ says Kumaraswamy
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD (S) State President H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said that not winning the election but his party's top priority is to maintain unity among its cadre.
“We need to show that our party cadre is united. Victory does not matter at this stage. We need to show unity over victory. The candidates have been fielded on these basis. Let us see who wins,” the former Chief Minister said.
BJP and JD-S fielded Kupendra Reddy as the fifth candidate even as the election is being held for four seats only. BJP and JD (S) claimed that they would get the votes of independent MLAs and some of the Congress party legislators as well.
Sources said that the 222 MLAs out of 223 have cast their votes for the Rajya Sabha elections. BJP MLA from Yellapur seat Shivaram Hebbar had not turned out for the polling when this report was being filed.
The BJP which already witnessed the cross voting by MLA S T Somashekar is crossing its fingers over the move by MLA Hebbar.
Sources said that MLA Hebbar has maintained distance from the party for a long time.
They said that either he will cross vote or he will abstain from the voting.
BJP Chief Whip Doddanagouda G Patil said that the party will file a complaint with the Speaker U T Khader once the process of voting concludes.
“Disciplinary action will be initiated and the party will also seek his impeachment from the post of MLA,” he added.
He said that the whip was issued to all BJP MLAs.
“I had personally met MLA Somashekar and issued a whip. It was sent on WhatsApp as well. It has been decided to initiate action against him,” he said.
Meanwhile Gali Janardhana Reddy MLA from Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP) said that he had cast his vote as per his conscience.
“Many others including the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister had contacted me. I have cast the vote as per the will of the people of my constituency,” he said.
(With inputs from IANS)