Eight Turncoats of 2019 ‘Coup’ Who Helped BJP Form Govt in Karnataka, Lose Election

In the year 2019, the Indian state of Karnataka witnessed a political turmoil as the Janata Dal Secular (JDS)-Congress coalition government collapsed after 18 MLAs resigned. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took advantage of the situation and formed the government. However, the recent state assembly elections saw the BJP’s downfall with the coalition between Congress and JDS emerging victorious. Among the key players in this political drama were the eight turncoat MLAs who switched sides from Congress and JDS to BJP, but later failed to secure their seats in the recent elections.

Here are the names of the eight MLAs who aided the BJP to form the government in 2019, but lost the recent elections:

1. R Shankar
2. K Gopalaiah
3. Murugesh Nirani
4. Umesh Jadhav
5. Mahesh Kumatalli
6. Ramesh Jarkiholi
7. S Somashekar
8. A H Vishwanath

Let’s take a closer look at their political journey and the reasons behind their downfall in the recent elections.

R Shankar, who was earlier associated with the Janata Dal Secular, later defected to the Congress party and won the Kagawad seat in the 2018 assembly elections. However, he resigned from the Congress party and extended support to BJP in 2019. Shankar was then made a minister in the BJP government, but lost to Shivanagouda Naik of Congress in the recent elections.

K Gopalaiah, who was earlier a Congress MLA, also joined the BJP along with Shankar in 2019. He was rewarded with a ministerial berth in the Yediyurappa government, but lost to Congress candidate M Narayanaswamy in the recent elections.

Murugesh Nirani, a three-time BJP MLA, resigned from the party in 2013 and joined the Congress. However, in 2019, he switched back to the BJP and was appointed as a cabinet minister. Nirani lost to Congress candidate Laxmi Hebbalkar in the recent elections.

Umesh Jadhav was earlier a Congress MLA who resigned and joined the BJP in 2019. He had won the Chincholi seat in the 2018 assembly elections on a Congress ticket, but lost to Congress candidate Dr. Ganesh Hukkeri in the recent elections.

Mahesh Kumathalli also defected to the BJP in 2019, after winning the Athani seat on a Congress ticket in 2018. He was given a ministerial berth in the cabinet, but lost to Congress candidate Ganesh Hukkeri in the recent elections.

Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was associated with the Congress party earlier, also joined the BJP in 2019. He won the Gokak seat with a huge margin in the 2018 elections, but lost to the Congress candidate Bharamgouda Alagouda Kage in the recent elections.

S Somashekar, who was earlier a Congress MLA, also joined the BJP in 2019. He had won the Yeshwanthapur seat in the 2018 assembly elections, but lost to Congress candidate ST Somashekar in the recent elections.

A H Vishwanath, who was earlier with the JDS, resigned and joined the Congress party in 2018. However, he later switched to the BJP and contested on a BJP ticket from Hunsur constituency in the recent elections, but lost to Congress candidate HP Manjunath.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the eight turncoat MLAs who helped the BJP to form the government in Karnataka in 2019, lost their seats in the recent state elections. Their political journey highlights the importance of ideologies and loyalty in politics, and serves as a lesson for those who switch sides for personal gains. The recent elections have proven that people value honesty, transparency, and accountability over political opportunism.