Nanjangud bypoll: Congress men on brink, waiting to cross
15-20 ruling party legislators are waiting for the Nanjangud bypoll result before deciding on their future plans.
Bengaluru: No less than 15 to 20 Congress legislators and a few defeated legislators seem to have made up their mind to quit the party and join BJP if push comes to shove.
The main reason for moving towards BJP is nothing but Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah's policy of overtly pushing for Backward Class political domination ignoring the Lingayats and Vokkaligas who are the two dominant castes in the state and have held the reins of power for the longest period.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a senior leader in the Congress observed that as a result of this ‘distorted’ policy of the CM, anti-incumbency has already set in many constituencies against the Congress party particularly in north Karnataka. Therefore, a section of party legislators are seriously considering abandoning ship.
"This trend will gain momentum once the Nanjangud by-poll result is announced, as most legislators are anxiously awaiting the result even more than former minister V. Srinivasprasad himself. If Mr Prasad decides to join BJP and wins the seat, the number of MLAs deserting Congress is likely to jump considerably (this number includes defeated MLAs) as the by-election is likely to see a face-off between, Siddaramaiah and BJP state president, B.S. Yeddyurappa," the source explained.
The source added that Mr Yeddyurappa will leave no stone unturned to ensure the party's victory as Nanjangud constituency has a sizeable number of Lingayat votes-Yeddyurappa’s community. “Generally, ahead of a full-fledged Assembly election, a by-election will be a trend-setter, so both parties are sure to fight it out tooth and nail," the source said.
Another reason for ruling party MLAs considering joining BJP is that in North-Karnataka, many Congress MLAs know that Yeddyurappa is still a leader to reckon with. Corruption charges against Mr Siddaramaiah, be it the Hublot watch row or the Steel Flyover project, have created sympathy for Yeddyurappa as he was forced to resign on similar graft charges when he was CM from 2008-11 and even had to go to prison for 42 days.