Expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator S.T. Somashekar on Thursday, 25 June publicly alleged that Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje was directly responsible for the cross-voting by BJP legislators in the recent Karnataka Legislative Council elections, attributing the episode to deep-seated internal rivalry within the state unit.

Somashekar's Allegations Against Shobha Karandlaje

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Somashekar levelled pointed accusations at the Union Minister. “Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje is responsible for the cross-voting. She does not like either Vijayendra or Ashoka, and that is the main reason for what happened. Due to political ill-will, she got it done and is directly responsible for it,” he alleged.

He went further, claiming the cross-voting was engineered as part of a conspiracy to force BJP Karnataka State President B.Y. Vijayendra and Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka out of their positions. “For every disaster in the party, Shobha Karandlaje is responsible. She has targeted both Vijayendra and Ashoka,” he said, adding that the truth would emerge if she were taken to the pilgrimage centre of Dharmasthala first.

Vijayendra vs Ashoka: The Internal Power Struggle

Somashekar also pointed to a separate axis of infighting — the rivalry between Vijayendra and Ashoka themselves. “My analysis is that Ashoka may have tried to defeat Vijayendra’s preferred candidate, while Vijayendra may have attempted to defeat Ashoka’s candidate,” he said. He called on both leaders to travel to Dharmasthala and take an oath before Lord Manjunatha, while asserting that the party’s 63 MLAs need not do so, contrary to what Vijayendra had suggested.

He also criticised the BJP’s pre-election management, contrasting it sharply with the ruling Indian National Congress (Congress). “The Congress leadership brought all its MLAs together before the polling, trained them and took each legislator into confidence. Anticipating the possibility of cross-voting, they took all necessary precautions,” he said. “In contrast, BJP leaders did not do anything of that sort. They did not issue a whip to their MLAs. I have been informed by BJP legislators that they were contacted by party leaders only about an hour before polling began,” he added.

Somashekar Admits Voting for Congress Candidate

The expelled MLA made no attempt to conceal his own role in the cross-voting. “I have already stated that BJP leaders did not even contact me as a matter of courtesy. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar invited us, assured us of funds for constituency development, and released those funds. I voted for the Congress candidate, and I am openly admitting it,” he said. He challenged the BJP leadership to identify who else had cross-voted, saying he would have answers ready if provoked.

BJP's Response and Fact-Finding Probe

On Tuesday, Vijayendra and Ashoka had travelled to New Delhi to brief BJP national President Nitin Nabin on the cross-voting episode. The party has since constituted a fact-finding exercise to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the alleged defection of votes, which has triggered a wider political debate within the organisation.

Meanwhile, Vijayendra arrived at Dharmasthala on Thursday and is scheduled to offer special prayers on Friday, 26 June. His earlier proposal to hold a BJP Legislature Party meeting at the pilgrimage centre was reportedly opposed by senior party leaders.

Somashekar dismissed the internal probe with characteristic bluntness. “They want to pin the blame on someone. It is an internal matter of the party, and they can do what they want,” he remarked. With the fact-finding committee yet to submit its findings, the Karnataka BJP’s leadership crisis shows no sign of resolution.