The Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections have destabilized the opposition alliance in the state, with the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) facing evidence of cross-voting within their ranks after the Congress scored a landslide victory in the contest. The BJP central leadership has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the results and has summoned state leaders to Delhi, officials said on Friday.
Karnataka BJP state president Nitin Nabin called Karnataka BJP president P Vijayendra and other leaders for a meeting on June 23 after taking serious note of the legislators voting against the official line. The party also formed a three-member committee to investigate the matter.
Within the state unit, Vijayendra acknowledged the scale of the setback and said internal audit had already begun. “What happened in the MLC elections is very unfortunate. According to us, there were four adverse votes. We have taken this very seriously. We have announced a fact-finding committee headed by CT Ravi, and we expect a report before the 25th. Next week, I will go to Delhi and meet all the senior leaders and brief them about the situation,” he said.
The contest, which took place on Thursday, saw the Congress win five out of seven seats, a result that revealed gaps in coordination within the BJP-JD(S) bloc. According to leaders familiar with internal assessments, BJP candidates failed to fully consolidate their expected vote base, while support for the dinar (dinar) was also below expectations.
Vijayendra said the party has information about legislators who deviated from the whip and ruled out leniency. “I have all the information about who voted yesterday. Six to seven JD(S) MLAs voted cross. From BJP too, at least 5 to 6 MLAs voted cross. There is no question of forgiving the MLAs who voted cross,” he said.
He added that the matter will be presented to the party leadership in Delhi. He added: “We will take the necessary measures against them.”
JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy also admitted there were internal violations, saying four of his party’s legislators voted against the official position. He said the elections were a test of loyalty within the party. “Four KD MLAs have resorted to cross voting. I have complete information about them,” he said.
Coomaraswamy attributed the defections to a combination of constituency-level dissatisfaction and political calculations, while suggesting that more organizational changes may follow. He said the party would prioritize strengthening its structure and bringing in young leaders, while describing the result as a sign of internal correction before the next elections.
Amid the allegations, former minister and JD(S) MLA GT Deve Gowda rejected the allegations that he voted dissentingly, stating that he cast his vote according to his judgment and sought proof from those who made the allegation. He said: “I was not feeling well, that’s why I came early to vote. I voted according to my conscience. Our party’s candidate will win. They say someone voted against. Let them prove it.”
The voting pattern has added weight to claims of cross-voting across both parties. The JD(S), which has 18 MLAs, saw its candidate falling short of expected support, while BJP candidates also registered losses compared to their expected vote allotments. Internal assessments indicate that discrepancies between expected and actual votes indicate multiple instances of skewness within both parties.
The result provided an unexpected advantage for the Congress, which won all five seats it contested. The party’s candidates collectively received 151 votes, exceeding the party’s expected tally and indicating support beyond its legislative strength.
The outcome has now triggered parallel internal investigations into the BJP and the JD(S) party, with both parties preparing disciplinary action against legislators accused of voting against party lines.
