Karnataka Council elections: Will cross-voting affect BJP-JD(S) alliance? 

The cross-voting in the elections held for seven Legislative Council seats to be elected from the Assembly in Karnataka on Thursday seems to have exposed chinks in the BJP-JD(S) alliance in the State. This gains significance, as it comes months ahead of zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat elections, apart from civic polls in Bengaluru. 

Differing claims

The BJP had allotted three of its votes along with that of Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, an expelled BJP MLA who had announced support to the party, for the JD(S), which had 18 votes of its own. JD(S) candidate Govindaraju finally got only 14 votes, as against a total of 22 votes allotted to him. While BJP claims that the four allotted by BJP voted for JD(S), taking the potential cross voting from the regional party to eight, JD(S) says their four MLAs cross voted and vote transfer did not happen from BJP.

While the alliance with the JD(S) has been stitched together by the national leadership of the BJP, a number of its State leaders have been uncomfortable and opposed to the same. Even at the recent State executive meeting of the party, B.S. Yediyurappa called upon party workers to work towards bringing BJP to power “independently” in 2028, not acknowledging the party’s alliance with the JD(S). 

Disgruntlement

If indeed votes allotted to BJP for the JD(S) candidate went to the Congress, it could be a reflection of this disgruntlement over alliance with the regional party. The doubt in JD(S) leaders’ mind over votes not being transferred from BJP and H.D. Deve Gowda being denied a Rajya Sabha berth, might also play out in the coming days, sources said. However, a senior JD(S) leader said that this ought not lead to any disturbance in the alliance, and if it did, it would hamper the interests of both the parties.