Amid rumours of “Operation Lotus 2.0” being back on Karnataka BJP’s table, the coming elections for the four Rajya Sabha seats in the state on 27 February may end up exposing the perceived discord within the ruling Congress, as some upset party legislators, sore over stalled development works in their constituencies and tired of the power struggle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D.K. Shivakumar, may spring a surprise with cross-voting, a source said.
Ex-Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar rejoining the BJP from the Congress last month is being seen by some observers as the first step towards “Operation Lotus 2.0”, which may still be a “work in progress” but has the potential to force a showdown in the Assembly for the Siddaramaiah government later this month, almost coinciding with upset results for the Congress in the RS elections, said party insiders.
More disgruntled MLAs from the Congress are believed to be in touch with unnamed BJP leaders to switch flanks or quit the Assembly en masse, to pave the way for Siddaramaiah’s exit, said a Congress leader. “Operation Lotus” is a term used by Congressmen to describe alleged attempts by the BJP to overturn their party’s government by poaching MLAs. In 2019, the Congress-JD(S) coalition government fell in the middle of the term and the BJP came to power as 17 MLAs resigned from the Assembly.
Of the 17 MLAs who resigned, 15 contested the next Assembly election. At present, the brewing trouble in the Congress camp is also being linked, partially, to the displeasure among MLAs over non- Karnataka leaders or “outsiders” being fielded by the party for the RS seats. “At least in a year of Lok Sabha elections, the party could have refrained from fielding outsiders for RS from the state,” said a disgruntled MLA.
The Congress has fielded AICC treasurer Ajay Maken, Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain and G.C. Chandrashekhar for the RS elections in Karnataka. While the BJP has named Narayansa Bhandage, the JD(S) has named D. Kupendra Reddy, a former Rajya Sabha MP, as the fifth candidate. The presence of five candidates in the fray for four seats has set the stage for high-voltage drama during the RS elections on 27 February. A Rajya Sabha seat contestant in Karnataka needs 45 votes to win.
If there is no cross-voting, the Congress can win three with 135 MLAs, and the BJP with 66 MLAs can get Bhandage elected to the Upper House. The JD(S) with 19 MLAs is also bending its back to earn an upset win for its candidate—possibly with some help from disgruntled Congress MLAs and BJP legislators.
Congress leaders in Karnataka are worried that the party high command has refused to take note of the alarm bells over trouble in the party, especially after Shettar rejoined the BJP. Sources said while in the recent past the high command’s major focus has been on speculation in Madhya Pradesh where veteran leader Kamal Nath and his son Nakul are being seen on the verge of joining the BJP, the brewing trouble in Karnataka— where the BJP is believed to be preparing to unfold “Operation Lotus 2.0” to allegedly poach MLAs as it did in 2019—has failed to catch the high command’s attention.