Polling for seven seats of the Karnataka Legislative Council continued on Thursday, 18 July amid heightened concerns over cross-voting, after expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators S.T. Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar publicly confirmed they had cast their ballots in favour of Indian National Congress (Congress) candidates. Both MLAs alleged that no BJP leader had bothered to reach out to them — not even with a courtesy call — ahead of the vote.

What the Expelled MLAs Said

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, S.T. Somashekar said his decision was driven entirely by the prospect of development for his constituency. He confirmed that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had personally called him the previous day and invited him to a resort meeting, where he sought and received assurances of funds and developmental assistance.

'I voted for the Congress with a view to ensuring the development of my constituency. I had not initially decided which party's candidate to support. What matters is who approaches you. Neither the BJP nor the JD(S) sought my support,' Somashekar said. He added that the BJP had come to power precisely because leaders like him had joined the party, and expressed confidence that all five Congress candidates would win.

Shivaram Hebbar echoed similar sentiments, saying constituency development was his primary concern. 'It is alright that the BJP expelled us, but we expected the party to at least ask for our support during this election. We waited until last night, but not even a courtesy call came from BJP leaders,' Hebbar said. He further alleged that the BJP's principal objective in the election was to ensure the defeat of the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) candidate — which, he suggested, explained why the party made no effort to contact him.

Congress Confident, BJP Dismisses Cross-Voting Fears

Minister for Large and Medium Industries M.B. Patil flatly dismissed concerns about cross-voting within the Congress camp. 'There is absolutely no fear in the Congress camp regarding cross-voting. We are united. If there is any possibility of cross-voting, it is on the BJP or JD(S) side,' Patil said.

Senior Congress MLA Konareddy said approximately 28 to 29 votes had been allocated to each Congress candidate and asserted that all five would win by evening. Former minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy maintained that Congress held around 140 votes — sufficient to secure all five seats — and rejected allegations of horse-trading as unfounded.

BJP's Counter-Assessment

Deputy Leader of the Opposition Arvind Bellad acknowledged that the votes of Somashekar and Hebbar had likely gone to Congress, but insisted that all remaining BJP legislators would vote along party lines. He expressed confidence that BJP candidates Lingaraj Patil and Raghu Kautilya would win comfortably.

BJP MLA S.R. Vishwanath predicted victory for all three National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates, arguing that any dissatisfaction lay within Congress over cabinet allocations and internal groupism. He noted, however, that the NDA faced a shortfall of three votes for its third candidate, while Congress needed five additional votes to secure its fifth seat.

On the prospects of JD(S) candidate K. Govindaraju, contesting as the NDA nominee, Bellad acknowledged a vote deficit but said the alliance was making every effort to ensure his victory.

The Broader Political Picture

The cross-voting by Somashekar and Hebbar is a direct consequence of their expulsion from the BJP — a party they helped bring to power. Their public defection, and the manner in which they have framed it — as a response to being ignored — adds a layer of embarrassment for the BJP's state leadership. This comes amid a wider pattern of the BJP struggling to manage its expelled and disgruntled legislators in Karnataka since losing the assembly majority.

Congress Legislature Party Secretary Allamaprabhu Patil said all Congress legislators would vote according to the strategy worked out by the party high command, signalling a disciplined approach to the preferential voting process.

Results for the seven council seats are expected later on Thursday, and will serve as an early indicator of floor arithmetic in Karnataka ahead of future legislative contests.