The BJP in Karnataka on Tuesday expelled two of its MLAs, S T Somashekar and A Shivaram Hebbar, for six years for alleged "anti-party activities," party's state president B Y Vijayendra said.
Addressing media here, he said the party high command decided after deliberations.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress chief D K Shivakumar slammed the action.
Mr Somashekar and Mr Hebbar represent Yashwanthpur and Yellapur assembly constituencies respectively and they were previously with Congress.
In 2019, they were among the 18 MLAs whose revolt played a key role in the downfall of the Congress-JDS coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy and paved the way for the saffron party to come to power for the fourth time in the state.
They were disqualified following which they switched to the BJP.
The duo has won the 2023 Assembly election on the BJP ticket but soon started hobnobbing with the Congress, saffron party insiders said.
"They (two MLAs) were given a long rope to rectify themselves but they ignored all the warnings. Finally, they have been expelled from the party," Mr Vijayendra said.
According to the BJP state chief, their activities were often discussed in the party's state core committee meetings and the central leadership was also apprised of them.
"We had insisted that some disciplinary action should be taken against them," Mr Vijayendra said.
According to party insiders, Mr Somashekar and Mr Hebbar often ignored the party's diktat, instructions and had stopped attending the party meetings as well.
In the Karnataka Assembly, they were seen supporting the ruling Congress, with which they were associated before 2019. Both had even supported the bills introduced by the ruling Congress, they alleged.
The central leadership did not act against them when Mr Somashekar cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha elections in February this year in favour of the Congress candidate while Mr Hebbar abstained much to the embarrassment of the BJP.
Reacting to his expulsion, Mr Somashekar said he is indebted to the Congress for giving a break in electoral politics by fielding him in the assembly elections from erstwhile Uttarahalli assembly segment.
He also said that he grew tall in the cooperation sector due to Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
The expelled MLA said he had received a call from the Union Home Minister Amit Shah who wanted to know the reason behind his hostilities towards BJP.
"I told him that I am facing certain challenges at the local level in my constituency. This is suffocating for me. I got assurance but nothing changed on the ground," the MLA said.
Speaking to reporters in Karwar, Mr Hebbar said he has no clue as to why he has been expelled.
"I gave my explanation to the show cause notice. I maintain that I welcome the decision of the party," the Yellapur MLA said.
In the letter, the member secretary of the BJP's central disciplinary committee, Om Pathak said, "The committee has considered your response to the show cause notice dated 25th March 2025 and has taken serious note of your repeated violations of the party discipline." "It has accordingly been decided to expel you for a period of 6 [six] years with immediate effect from the primary membership of the party and you stand removed from any party position that you hold as of now," the letter added.
With this, the number of BJP MLAs expelled in the state has risen to three.
The party had earlier expelled Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal for openly criticising Yediyurappa and his son B Y Vijayendra.
Currently, the BJP has a strength of 65 MLAs in the Karnataka Assembly including the three expelled MLAs.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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