Karnataka election: Sharad Pawar’s NCP jumps into poll fray; 4-5 sitting BJP MLAs in touch with us, says party’s State chief

With the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) stepping into the Karnataka poll fray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar held a meeting with party leaders and workers from Karnataka to finalise the plans for the upcoming Assembly election

With the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) stepping into the Karnataka poll fray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on April 15 held a meeting with party leaders as well as NCP leaders and workers from Karnataka to finalise the plans for the upcoming Assembly election in the neighbouring State.

The NCP’s Karnataka State president Hari R. said that the party was set to contest on at least 40 of the 224 Assembly seats and claimed that a number of sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators were keen to join Mr. Pawar’s party as the NCP’s ideology appealed to them.

“Just two days ago, a BJP MLC resigned and joined NCP saying that he liked the NCP’s ideology. At least four-five sitting MLAs are expected to leave BJP and join the NCP. A former Mayor of Bengaluru city is also likely to join the NCP,” said Mr. Hari, speaking in Mumbai.

He said that the NCP’s Karnataka team had come to meet Mr. Pawar in order to finalise tickets for the Karnataka Assembly election to be held on May 10.

“Many leaders who have quit the BJP are looking at the NCP favourably because of our ideology. We will give tickets to such candidates. We are looking to contest seats across Karnataka and not just the Marathi-speaking border areas,” said Mr. Hari.

The ruling BJP currently has 119 MLAs while Congress has 75 and the JD(S) has 28 seats.

While defections of several sitting BJP MLAs have given hope to the Congress, the decision of its allies like the NCP to fight separately has resulted in speculation whether Mr. Pawar’s move might create a fresh schism within the tripartite MVA alliance in Maharashtra (of the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction, the NCP and the Congress).