To strengthen its base in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls with the objective of winning at least 22 out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats from Karnataka, State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has resumed Operation Lotus. Party legislatures have started resigning from their respective seats in order to join BJP to contest the by-elections on BJP tickets.
On February 4, sitting Congress MLA from Bidar Assembly constituency, Gurupadappa Nagmarpally, resigned from the primary membership of Congress and the Legislative Assembly, joined BJP in the presence of Shri LK Advani at Bangaluru. Shri Advani had come to Bangaluru to participate in the 101st birthday celebrations of Siddaganga seer Sri Shivakumar Swamiji, at Tumkur near Bangaluru.
Along with Gurupadappa, another Congress leader from Bidar district and former legislator from Basavakalyan Assmebly constituency, Maruthirao Mule, also tendered his resignation to the Congress and joined the BJP. Gurupadappa Nagmarpally, a powerful Lingayat leader and five time MLA from north Karnataka, submitted his resignation to Speaker Jagadish Shetter hours after announcing his desire to join the BJP.
While Gurupadappa Nagmarpally is likely to be fielded from Bidar parliamentary constituency in the coming Lok Sabha polls, Nagmarpally’s son may be fielded from Bidar Assembly constituency in the coming by-election, which is due with the Nagmarpally renouncing this seat in the Assembly. Nagmarpally had served as a minister in former Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde’s Janata government and also in the JH Patel-led Janata Dal government, had later joined the Congress.
According to political analysts, Nagmarpally’s act of quitting Congress at the time when Congress is in a critical condition in the State indicates that not all is well in the State Congress unit even though Gurupadappa Nagmarapally and the Congress State unit president RV Deshapande were considered close friends. Gurupadappa Nagmarapally had secured 33,557 votes in the last general elections while Raheem Khan of BSP had secured 30,627 votes and Raghunathrao Malkapure of BJP had secured 20,561 votes. It seems, Operation Lotus-II may not stop and the informed sources said the BJP is likely to rope in a few more Congress leaders and field them in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The two time Congress MLA from Chintamani Assembly Constituency, Dr MC Sudhakar and B Shivaramu, a strong Congress leader from Hassan are likely to join BJP. Operation Lotus became a huge success in the last by-elections as BJP bagged 5 seats out of total 8 seats for which by-elections were held on December 27, following the resignation of four JD(S) Legislators and three Congress Legislators and one JD(S) legislator’s death. All these 5 new seats, Hukkeri Assembly constituency, Arabhavi Assembly Constituency, Devedurga (ST) Assembly Constituency, Karwar Assembly Constituency and Doddaballapur Assembly Constituency, significantly increased the BJP’s total strength in the Assembly to 115 from 110, thereby crossing the danger zone.
The simple majority required as per law is 113 seats. With the latest resignation, the Congress strength stands reduced to 76 (from 80) and Janata Dal (Secular) stands at 26 (from 28). Out of 5 winners on the BJP ticket in the recently concluded by-elections, four are ministers at present in the Dr BS Yeddyurappa’s Cabinet and another is a chairman of a Board.
However, BJP central election committee has finalised the list of nine candidates for the coming Lok Sabha polls.
They are Ananth Kumar from Bangaluru South, State BJP unit chief DV Sadananda Gowda from Udupi-Chickmangalore, Suresh Angadi from Belgaum, PC Gaddigoudar from Bagalkot, Prahlad Joshi from Dharwad, Anath Kumar Hegde from Uttara Kannada, GM Siddeshwar from Davangere, CH Vijaya Shankar from Mysore and Ramesh Jigajinagi from Bijapur (SC) parliamentary constituencies. The second list is likely to be announced on February 15 for the 14 constituencies.
On February 4, sitting Congress MLA from Bidar Assembly constituency, Gurupadappa Nagmarpally, resigned from the primary membership of Congress and the Legislative Assembly, joined BJP in the presence of Shri LK Advani at Bangaluru. Shri Advani had come to Bangaluru to participate in the 101st birthday celebrations of Siddaganga seer Sri Shivakumar Swamiji, at Tumkur near Bangaluru.
Along with Gurupadappa, another Congress leader from Bidar district and former legislator from Basavakalyan Assmebly constituency, Maruthirao Mule, also tendered his resignation to the Congress and joined the BJP. Gurupadappa Nagmarpally, a powerful Lingayat leader and five time MLA from north Karnataka, submitted his resignation to Speaker Jagadish Shetter hours after announcing his desire to join the BJP.
While Gurupadappa Nagmarpally is likely to be fielded from Bidar parliamentary constituency in the coming Lok Sabha polls, Nagmarpally’s son may be fielded from Bidar Assembly constituency in the coming by-election, which is due with the Nagmarpally renouncing this seat in the Assembly. Nagmarpally had served as a minister in former Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde’s Janata government and also in the JH Patel-led Janata Dal government, had later joined the Congress.
According to political analysts, Nagmarpally’s act of quitting Congress at the time when Congress is in a critical condition in the State indicates that not all is well in the State Congress unit even though Gurupadappa Nagmarapally and the Congress State unit president RV Deshapande were considered close friends. Gurupadappa Nagmarapally had secured 33,557 votes in the last general elections while Raheem Khan of BSP had secured 30,627 votes and Raghunathrao Malkapure of BJP had secured 20,561 votes. It seems, Operation Lotus-II may not stop and the informed sources said the BJP is likely to rope in a few more Congress leaders and field them in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The two time Congress MLA from Chintamani Assembly Constituency, Dr MC Sudhakar and B Shivaramu, a strong Congress leader from Hassan are likely to join BJP. Operation Lotus became a huge success in the last by-elections as BJP bagged 5 seats out of total 8 seats for which by-elections were held on December 27, following the resignation of four JD(S) Legislators and three Congress Legislators and one JD(S) legislator’s death. All these 5 new seats, Hukkeri Assembly constituency, Arabhavi Assembly Constituency, Devedurga (ST) Assembly Constituency, Karwar Assembly Constituency and Doddaballapur Assembly Constituency, significantly increased the BJP’s total strength in the Assembly to 115 from 110, thereby crossing the danger zone.
The simple majority required as per law is 113 seats. With the latest resignation, the Congress strength stands reduced to 76 (from 80) and Janata Dal (Secular) stands at 26 (from 28). Out of 5 winners on the BJP ticket in the recently concluded by-elections, four are ministers at present in the Dr BS Yeddyurappa’s Cabinet and another is a chairman of a Board.
However, BJP central election committee has finalised the list of nine candidates for the coming Lok Sabha polls.
They are Ananth Kumar from Bangaluru South, State BJP unit chief DV Sadananda Gowda from Udupi-Chickmangalore, Suresh Angadi from Belgaum, PC Gaddigoudar from Bagalkot, Prahlad Joshi from Dharwad, Anath Kumar Hegde from Uttara Kannada, GM Siddeshwar from Davangere, CH Vijaya Shankar from Mysore and Ramesh Jigajinagi from Bijapur (SC) parliamentary constituencies. The second list is likely to be announced on February 15 for the 14 constituencies.
