The Sharad Pawar-led NCP is stepping into the troubled waters of Karnataka politics with as many as 11 MLAs from the BJP, Congress and JD(S) and two independents having reportedly expressed their willingness to join the party.
A top NCP functionary told this newspaper that party chief and Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar has been in direct talks with some of these MLAs and will receive a “final internal report” on the matter by the end of the month.
The NCP, which is yet to open its account in the Karnataka assembly, has deputed its national general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Dr V Rajeshwaran to talk to the 13 MLAs who have shown
willingness to join the NCP. Dr Rajeshwaran will be on a three-day visit to the state beginning January 20, during which he will hold one-to-one meetings with all the 13 MLAs apart from holding discussions with the party’s state functionaries.
Dr Rajeshwaran claimed that two MLAs from the Congress have already agreed to join NCP. He, however, refused to disclose their names and to elaborate on the number of MLAs from BJP and JD(S) who have so far communicated with the NCP leaders. “I don’t want to disclose everything at this juncture,” he quipped.
However, NCP sources indicated that a major chunk of the 13 turncoats would be from the ruling BJP. Sources also claimed that mid-level leaders from the camps of former chief minister Mr B.S. Yedyurappa, who has been at loggerheads with the BJP leadership demanding he be returned the CM’s post or be made the state party chief, and BJP’s friend-turned foe Mr. B Sriramulu had contacted NCP’s leaders.
“We will discuss the modus operandi and set the future action plan during the meetings with the MLAs,” said Dr Rajeshwaran.
He said that Mr Gulihati Shekhar, an independent MLA and former sports minister in the Yedyurappa cabinet, was the first to join NCP who later became instrumental to woo others to the party.