Congress MLA Raghavendra Hitnal criticized the BJP and JDS, saying cross-voting in the MLC elections exposed their weakness and lack of coordination. He also asserted that the Congress government’s guarantee schemes would not be stopped.
MLC Polls Show BJP-JDS Weakness
Congress MLA Raghavendra Hitnal on Monday said the cross-voting by JDS and BJP MLAs in the recent MLC elections shows the weakness and lack of coordination within both parties. Speaking to reporters in Koppal, Hitnal said, “You have shown more than what I can say. They have failed to keep their own MLAs under control. Cross-voting reflects the weakness of both parties and shows there is no coordination among them.”
Commenting on reports that the next BJP Legislature Party (BLP) meeting would be held in Dharmasthala, he said, “I saw on TV that their next BLP meeting will be in Dharmasthala. Ours is CLP, theirs is BLP. I heard they are holding the BLP in Dharmasthala. This shows they don’t have trust among themselves.”
Congress Guarantee Schemes to Continue
On the guarantee schemes, Hitnal asserted that they would not be stopped. “Under no circumstances will the guarantees be stopped. Former CM Siddaramaiah also said this recently. There are some technical problems which have caused issues. But the guarantees will not stop for any reason,” he said.
He added that the Congress government’s guarantee schemes have created a positive impact and brought a long-term vision to society. “People have appreciated the Congress party for this. Congress will come to power again in 2028. It is certain that Congress will return to the state in 2028,” Hitnal said.
BJP Forms Committee to Probe Cross-Voting
Notably, the BJP has 64 MLAs, but its two candidates together secured only 56 votes, a shortfall of eight. JD(S) has 18 MLAs, but its candidate got only 14 votes. As part of the NDA arrangement, the BJP had assigned three of its MLAs to vote for the JD(S) candidate, taking the JD(S) tally to 21. Yet the JD(S) ended up with just 14, seven votes short.
According to sources, at least 11 NDA MLAs in Karnataka indulged in cross-voting during the MLC polls, a development that has left the party’s top leadership upset. Congress, which has 135 MLAs, polled 151 votes in the election, with all five of its candidates declared elected in the first round. The BJP won two seats, while the JD(S) candidate lost. The results indicated cross-voting from both the BJP and JD(S) ranks.
Meanwhile, the BJP has formed a three-member committee to investigate the cross-voting by its MLAs in the Legislative Council elections held on June 18. The committee comprises CT Ravi, N Mahesh, and Mahesh Tenginakayi, and has been asked to submit its report by June 25, according to a party press release from the BJP state headquarters in Bengaluru.
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