BANGALORE: The BJP, which had ensured stability in the assembly through ‘Operation Lotus‘ after the 2008 polls threw up a fractured verdict in Karnataka, may repeat the formula again.
‘Operation Lotus’ was an infamous strategy started by then BJP chief minister B S Yeddyurappa to buy over opposition party MLAs with money and power. BJP had poached 20 MLAs from JD(S) and Congress, making them resign their assembly membership and contest bypolls, between 2008 and 2013.
With just 104 seats in the 2018 assembly, the BJP technically needs to ensure that at least 5-6 MLAs resign, so that the magic figure drops to 106-108, and ensure that BJP candidates wins the bypolls.
Constitutional experts say governor Vajubhai Vala is likely to invite BJP to form the government by applying his conscience and discretion, as guided by Supreme Court verdicts which say that a party with the largest number of MLAs should be invited to form the government. “He will first invite the single largest party, and if it fails to prove its numbers, the governor may go for the coalition option,” said senior lawyer H P Bavesh.
Prominent among the MLAs who defected to the BJP after the 2008 assembly elections include Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli, Anand Asnotikar (Karwar), J Narasimha Swamy (Doddaballapur) and actor-turned-politician Jaggesh (Turuvekere).