Banglore:
The Core Committee of the Karnataka BJP unit is meeting today to discuss the cross-voting by 12 of its MLAs during the recent election to the Legislative council and decide action to be initiated against them.
The party has taken a serious view of the cross-voting and the issue will also be discussed with party central leadership, state unit President K S Eswarappa told reporters.
Similar cross-voting was witnessed a few years ago when liquor baron Vijay Mallya contested the Rajya Sabha election, he said and reminded that BJP had denied ticket to those who indulged in the practice.
However, Eswarappa remained non-committal on being asked whether those MLAs who defied the whip during the June 11 election to the Legislative Council would also be denied ticket in the assembly elections in 2013.
"The core committee will take a decision," he said.
Unlike Congress, whose Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi was defeated, the BJP managed to ensure the victory of all its six candidates, Eswrappa said.
The recent Council election held in three Teachers and Graudates constituencies has demonstrated that BJP continued to be a preferred party among voters as the party secured five seats out of six, he said.
Eswarappa expressed confidence of BJP retaining power in the next assembly polls.
He flayed the statement war allegedly indulged in by Congress leaders on the basis of caste and accused the opposition party of vitiating social harmony in the state.
In this context, he referred to statements reportedly made by some Lingayat community leaders demanding PCC leadership for community leaders and also another by KPCC President G Parameshwara in support of dalits.