Karnataka BJP president Vijayendra Bojja told reporters on Monday that a wave of defections could flood the saffron party’s ranks if the state were to go to the polls tomorrow. He named 25 sitting Congress MLAs, some of whom hold ministerial portfolios, as ready to switch sides.
Shivakumar, a seasoned JDS stalwart, responded by urging the BJP to induct the leaders without delay. He mocked the claim, saying the party should act fast and called out cross‑voting by BJP and JDS leaders in the Rajya Sabha as evidence of political opportunism.
The episode follows allegations that Congress leaders had set up sting operations to trap Shivakumar and his cabinet. The CM warned that the government was being targeted by private agents and that investigations should not wait for “time to answer”.
With elections looming, the BJP’s bold assertion and the CM’s counter‑attack have sharpened the divide between the two parties. The next move will be a formal decision by the BJP’s state executive to either accept or reject the 25 legislators, a decision that could alter the composition of Karnataka’s ruling coalition.