Karnataka Congress leader KC Venugopal claims many BJP MLAs will join Grand Old Party after declaration of Lok Sabha election results

Kalaburagi: Congress leader KC Venugopal asserted that many BJP MLAs in Karnataka will join his party after 23 May, when results of the seven-phase general elections will be declared. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Venugopal said Congress is not going to indulge in horse-trading, as legislatures would shift guard on their own. [caption id=“attachment_3432338” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Congress leader KC Venugopal. Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons[/caption] “We are not going to poach any MLAs from BJP but naturally they will come to Congress after 23 May. That is going to happen. In last one year, Karnataka has been witnessing horse-trading mentality of BJP, and on the other hand, Congress-JD(S) joined together,” Venugopal said. “We formed the government; we are ruling the state from last one year. We will definitely continue,” he added. Horse-trading allegations have surfaced time and again in Karnataka, ever since the Assembly elections took place in May 2018. In January, BJP had housed all its 104 MLAs in a hotel in Gurugram, fearing poaching by Congress. A month later, Congress alleged that BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa had offered around Rs 200 crore to 18 of its MLAs in an attempt to destabilise the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka. Karnataka went to polls in two phases of the Lok Sabha elections — on 18 and 23 April — for the 28 Lok Sabha seats at stake. Results will be declared on 23 May. In the 224-member state Assembly, JD(S) has 37 MLAs and its coalition partner has 80. It has the support of some Independents in the House where the majority figure is 113.