BJP chief B.Y. Vijayendra says 25 Karnataka Congress MLAs and ministers ready to join party

More than 25 Congress MLAs, including sitting ministers, are preparing to cross over to the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the next assembly elections in Karnataka, state party president B.Y. Vijayendra claimed on Monday.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Vijayendra pointed to brewing discontent inside the ruling Congress ranks, arguing that elected representatives are increasingly disillusioned with the state administration. He said that whenever state elections are called, a significant bloc of ruling party legislators would cross the aisle, signalling an impending political realignment in favour of development and stable governance.

Allegations of fiscal mismanagement

Vijayendra criticised the ruling dispensation in Karnataka, accusing it of stooping to unethical tactics to retain authority following recent controversies over sting operations. Describing these moves as unacceptable political conduct, he argued that the state government was using political drama to distract from mounting fiscal strain and policy failures on the ground.

In particular, the state BJP chief highlighted the administration's handling of rural distress, noting that relief efforts for farmers had ground to a halt. While the state government announced compensation of ₹2,500 for farmers hit by drought, Vijayendra said that even this modest assistance had failed to reach beneficiaries across the districts. Rather than taking accountability for depleted public finances, he said, state leaders were attempting to shift blame onto the central government.

He also took aim at protests mounted by the Congress leadership in New Delhi, accusing the party of seeking to manufacture unrest rather than working to deliver economic results. Vijayendra maintained that voters across the country would reject disruptive politics in favour of national stability and progress, urging the opposition to earn public trust through governance rather than confrontation.

Congress rejects defection claims

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar dismissed the claims while addressing the media in Delhi, daring the BJP leadership to act on its assertions without delay.

"Why should the BJP wait till the polls if it is confident that our MLAs are set to join its fold? Let them not waste any time and immediately make arrangements for the inclusion of our MLAs into its fold," Shivakumar said.

Shivakumar also pointed back at the opposition coalition, stating that leaders from the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) had struggled to maintain their own unity during earlier Legislative Council elections, where a dozen opposition legislators cross-voted.

Despite the pushback from Congress, Vijayendra maintained that political momentum in Karnataka is tilting towards the BJP, with grassroots dissatisfaction with the current administration set to trigger significant defections when voters next go to the polls.