Rajya Sabha Polls: BJP MLA ST Somasekhar Cross-Votes for Congress; Ex-Minister Shivram Hebbar Abstains

BJP MLA ST Somasekhar has cast a cross vote in the Rajya Sabha election which has sparked intense curiosity and has voted for the Congress candidate. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah thanked Somasekhar.The BJP-JDS alliance, which was confident of a cross-vote from the Congress in the Rajya Sabha elections, has come as a shock to Somasekar's cross-vote. Somasekhar said, “I voted according to my conscience.” Rajya Sabha voting was held today for four seats. The arena is filled with the competition of five candidates. The Rajya Sabha election result has aroused curiosity and will be announced by night. The polling started at 9 am today. BJP MLA Suresh Kumar was the first to come and vote.When reporters questioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah about BJP MLA Somashekhar voting for the Congress candidate, he quipped that if Somashekhar had voted for the Congress candidate, I would have thanked him. By saying this, he insulted the BJP-JDS leaders.

There was a fear of cross-voting, but none of the Congress and JD(S) have ventured to cross-vote. But BJP's S.T. Somshekhar, by cross-voting, has given a hint that he will find his political future in the Congress itself.Like BJP MLA Somshekhar, Yallapur BJP MLA and former Minister Shivram Hebbar, who has attacked the BJP and identified himself with Congress leaders, was also told to vote for the Congress candidate, but Shivram Hebbar did not go to the polling booth till 2 pm. Hebbar didn’t go to the polling booth created anxiety in the saffron camp.In a significant development, there are strong rumors that MLAs ST Somashekhar and Shivaram Hebbar will resign this evening and join the Congress. ST Somashekhar and Shivaram Hebbar to meet the Assembly Speaker UT Khader in the evening. Both the MLAs, who have already held talks with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, will join the party by taking primary membership of the Congress after resigning.

According to the sources, it is known that ST Somashekhar, who is an MLA from Yeshwantpur constituency, will contest as a Congress candidate from Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In the background of not getting strong candidates from the Congress for this constituency, there has been a brainstorming in the party circle to make ST Somasekhar the candidate. Shivram Hebbar, MLA from Yallapur Assembly Constituency in Uttara Kannada District, is also likely to be a Congress candidate in the Lok Sabha elections. Here too Congress is thinking of making him a strong candidate as Congress does not have strong candidates. Hebbar has already held talks with Congress leaders and has demanded that if he is nominated for the Lok Sabha elections from Uttara Kannada district, his son should play the ticket in the by-elections to Yallapur assembly constituency. According to informed sources, most of the KPCC leaders have agreed to this.

Shivram Hebbar and NT Somasekhar, who were earlier in the Congress, joined the BJP under Operation Kamal in the changed political situation. Speaking to reporters in the Vidhan Sabha, Chief Whip Dodna Gowda Patil, who explained Somashekhar's cross-voting yesterday, said that Somashekhar's move was an anti-party act and that he would file a complaint against him to the Assembly Speaker to disqualify him as a member. As soon as the information about BJP MLA ST Somashekhar's cross-voting came to light, BJP and JDS leaders came together against Somashekhar and discussed taking action against him.Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said that more than winning the Rajya Sabha elections, the candidate was fielded mainly to demonstrate the unity of the JDS. Reacting to the accusations of Congress leaders that former Chief Minister Kumaraswamy is luring Congress MLAs, he said that luring and threatening is not our culture. Congress candidates in this election are Ajay Maken, Syed Nazir Hussain, and G.C. Chandrasekhar is in the fray, Narayan Bandage is the BJP candidate, and Kupendra Reddy is in the fray from the JDS and BJP alliance. MLAs have been arriving in groups for voting since this morning, and arrangements have been made for voting in room number 106 of Vidhansouda. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister K. Shivakumar, former Chief Ministers Basavarajabommai, H.D. Kumaraswamy, Opposition leader R. Ashok, Minister M.B. Patil, BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra cast their votes. The Congress party took all the MLAs to a private hotel in Bangalore yesterday to maintain the unity of its MLAs.