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Karnataka: Is the Congress exodus into BJP a ploy to destablise the saffron party

With more leaders from other parties jumping to the BJP, the party's own have raised concerns over their positioning within the party.

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With each passing day, more members of the Congress are leaving to join the BJP in Karnataka. From senior leaders, perception makers to grassroot-level workers, the Congress party is witnessing an exodus of sorts. While most look at it as the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in wooing leaders, the very exodus could spell doom to the saffron party. With more leaders from other parties jumping to the BJP, the party's own have raised concerns over their positioning within the party.

K'taka: Is the Congress exodus into BJP

Truth be told, it was former Karnataka minister in the Siddaramaiah cabinet, Srinivas Prasad, who set the ball rolling. Then came S M Krishna, the Vokkaliga strongman and then it was Shivanna, another prominent backward class leader from Chamarajpet. More leaders in the Congress are contemplating quitting the party if not jumping to the BJP. While most may believe that this is indicative of the BJP's victory in consolidating more support, it may be recalled that a similar wooing process in 2007, Operation Kamala, had severely backfired.

Back in 2007, the BJP sought to woo leaders of the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular in order to bring their party to power when Congress' Dharam Singh was the Chief Minister. The entire operation left BJP's own leaders red-faced. The disgruntlement that set in the party during operation Kamala led to tumultuous political disruptions in the state. While the BJP was directly affected by it, the state suffered political uncertainty. The JD-S led by H D Kumaraswamy assumed power first in the 20-20 months agreement between the BJP and the JD-S but refused to transfer power.

The political uncertainty led to President's rule in Karnataka following which both parties decided to patch up but the JD-S pulled back its support resulting in snap polls in the state. The BJP did emerge victorious in 2008 assembly polls but the disgruntlement that had set in during operation Kamala started eating the party away from its roots. Factions, partisans, coterie politics took a toll on the party.

Cut to 2017, many leaders of the Congress are abandoning their party to join the BJP. While tall leaders such as Krishna claim that they have no expectations from the BJP, the same did not hold good when he was in the Congress. He quit the congress since the party allegedly refused to give him due credit. Srinivas Prasad left the Congress after being dropped from the cabinet. It is but natural that he would expect a cabinet berth if the BJP came to power in the upcoming 2018 assembly polls. One cabinet position to Prasad means one less to an original BJP MLA.

While grassroots level workers joining the BJP is being looked at as the true victory of the party, prominent leaders from other parties joining the BJP is being viewed as a threat to its members, their positions in the party and in general the structure of the saffron party ahead of the Karnataka assembly polls.

OneIndia News

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