Bengaluru: The Janata Dal (Secular) suffered a major setback in the Legislative Council elections as its lone candidate, Govindaraju, failed to secure victory despite intense efforts by the party leadership. Govindaraju managed to secure only 14 votes, triggering speculation of large-scale cross-voting within the party ranks.
JDS leaders had expected all 18 legislators of the party to vote in favour of their candidate. While they had anticipated the possibility of one or two cross-votes, the final tally has come as a major shock. The result has sparked internal discussions over the extent of defection and dissatisfaction within the party.
The defeat was compounded by last-minute political calculations involving alliance partner BJP. With 62 MLAs, the BJP required 56 votes to ensure the victory of its two candidates, leaving six surplus votes. The JDS leadership had hoped to benefit from these additional votes, along with support from independent-minded legislators such as Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and Janardhana Reddy.
However, BJP reportedly decided at the last moment to allocate around 30 votes to each of its candidates, affecting JDS calculations. Although some BJP legislators, including Duryodhana Aihole, Krishna Nayak, Chandru Lamani and Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, voted for the JDS nominee, it was not enough to save Govindaraju from defeat.
The outcome has raised fresh concerns for the BJP-JDS alliance, with cross-voting reported from both camps. Party leaders are now expected to identify the legislators responsible and consider disciplinary action.
