Karnataka: 3 BJP members, 1 JD(S) defy whip

Three BJP MPs and a JD(S) MP from Karnataka played a part in nudging the Manmohan Singh Government to victory in Parliament...

Three BJP MPs and a JD(S) MP from Karnataka played a part in nudging the Manmohan Singh Government to victory in Parliament on Tuesday. A fourth BJP MP abstained from voting on account of an illness.

BJP MPs H T Sangliana from the Bangalore North constituency, Manjunath Kunnur from Dharwad South and Manorama Madhawraj from Udupi voted in favour of the trust motion and against their party’s chosen line. The BJP MP from Chikamagalur, D C Srikantappa, abstained from voting after being declared unwell to travel to Delhi.

M Shivanna, the JD(S) MP from Chamarajnagar, defied the whip issued by his party’s national president H D Deve Gowda and voted for the UPA.

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H T Sangliana: The former IPS officer and police commissioner of Bangalore who hails from Mizoram stated that he voted for the UPA since he considers “the nation’s interest most important”. Sangliana, a staunch Christian, had originally sought a Congress ticket to contest the 2004 polls, but the presence of Congress veterans like C K Jaffer Sharief from Bangalore North lead to the denial of a ticket to the popular former cop. After the trust vote, Sangliana said he did not expect to continue in the BJP, however, adding that he had struck no deal with the Congress. But, there have been unconfirmed reports that he may contest the next Lok Sabha polls from Mizoram on a Congress ticket.

Manjunath Kunnur: The BJP MP constituency began drifting away from the party nearly a year ago. Not given too much party responsibility, the former Congressman said the final straw came when the BJP brought in outsider Basavaraj Bommai to contest the recent Assembly polls from the Shiggaon constituency in the Dharwad south region. Kunnur said in recent times, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa reposed more faith in Bommai than him. He said he did not receive a guarantee of a Lok Sabha ticket for future elections from Advani, Yeddyurappa or Ananth Kumar. “Advani said we could discuss the issue after July 23. Yeddyurappa and Ananth Kumar did not say anything at the dinner in Delhi on July 21. I am basically a Congressman, I will go back to the Congress,” he said.

Manorama Madhwaraj: The Udupi BJP MP’s son Pramod Madhwaraj recently contested the Karnataka Assembly polls on a Congress ticket. The BJP MP herself is reported to have stated in a press note released ahead of the trust vote that there is no guarantee of energy security with the nuclear deal. Though she was not reachable, her party colleagues Sangliana and Kunnur said she had voted for the UPA.

M Shivanna: The JD(S) MP from tribal Chamarajnagar constituency says he changed his mind and voted in favor of the UPA at the last moment. “I did not want to vote against my conscience though a whip had been issued to vote against the motion. At the last moment I changed my mind,” said the MP who is reported to have received assurances of a Congress ticket for the next elections. “I have faith in my constituency. Let’s see what action is taken,” he said.