Will BS Yeddyurappa, independent MLAs back Nirmala Sitharaman?

Bengaluru: Despite the 45 votes needed to elect Union Minister (independent charge) for Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman, to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, the state BJP appears confident about her chances.

Claiming the party has come up with a strategy to make up for the shortfall of one vote, BJP state president, B.S.Yeddyurappa said it was not worried about the developments in the Congress and JD(S).

Sources close to the former Chief Minister said the party was relying on the support of independent MLA, Haladi Srinivasa Shetty of Kundapura constituency,(who  is reportedly ready to return to the BJP in 2018) and two BSR Congress MLAs, Kampli MLA, T.S. Suresh Babu and Molakalmuru MLA, S. Thippeswamy, to ensure the minister’s win.

While the party believes she could get 47 to 48 first preferential votes, it is not taking any chances as both the Congress and JD(S) have fielded  candidates with enough ‘resources’ to win the elections and the BJP itself has a history of cross voting in the state.

In 2002, six BJP MLAs voted in favor of liquor baron, Vijaya Mallya and helped defeat the party’s official candidate Taradevi Siddaratha. The MLAs,  Gundappa Vakil, A.Krishnappa, K.H. Hanume Gowda, C. Guruswamy, V. Papanna and H.C. Basavaraj were suspended  for cross voting , but the damage was done..

This time, however, the party seems confident there will be no such cross voting as the situation is entirely different today. “The BJP had a very weak base in the state in 2002, which is no longer true. Also, it has a very strong high command and if anything unpleasant  happens, the state  unit will be held responsible,” noted a party leader.