Bengaluru, June 25 : Expelled BJP MLA S.T. Somashekar on Thursday alleged that Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje was responsible for the cross-voting by BJP legislators in the recent Karnataka Legislative Council elections, attributing it to internal rivalry within the party.

Speaking to reporters here, he also claimed that internal rivalry between BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra and Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka contributed to the cross-voting.

"Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje is responsible for the cross-voting. She does not like either Vijayendra or Ashoka, and that is the main reason for what happened. Due to political ill-will, she got it done and is directly responsible for it," he alleged.

Somashekar further claimed that the cross-voting was part of a conspiracy aimed at forcing Vijayendra and Ashoka to step down from their positions.

"For every disaster in the party, Shobha Karandlaje is responsible. She has targeted both Vijayendra and Ashoka. If she is taken to Dharmasthala first, the truth will come out," he said.

Defending his own actions, Somashekar reiterated that he openly voted for the Congress candidate in the Council polls.

"I have already stated that BJP leaders did not even contact me as a matter of courtesy. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar invited us, assured us of funds for constituency development, and released those funds. I voted for the Congress candidate, and I am openly admitting it," he said.

Challenging BJP leaders, Somashekar said, "If they have the capacity, let them find out who cross-voted. Let Shobha madam provoke me; I will have my answers ready."

The expelled MLA also blamed the internal power struggle between Vijayendra and Ashoka for the outcome of the election.

"My analysis is that Ashoka may have tried to defeat Vijayendra's preferred candidate, while Vijayendra may have attempted to defeat Ashoka's candidate. In this backdrop, both leaders should go to Dharmasthala and take an oath before Lord Manjunatha," he said.

He added that the BJP's 63 MLAs need not take any oath at Dharmasthala, contrary to what Vijayendra suggested.

Commenting on reports submitted by Vijayendra and Ashoka to the BJP high command regarding the cross-voting episode, Somashekar said efforts were being made to fix responsibility on certain individuals.

"They want to pin the blame on someone. It is an internal matter of the party, and they can do what they want," he remarked.

Somashekar maintained that the cross-voting was a direct result of infighting within the state BJP leadership.

"It is certain that the cross-voting happened because of the rivalry between Vijayendra and Ashoka. Both leaders should have gathered all BJP MLAs before the election and taken steps to prevent such an outcome. In my opinion, they failed to do so," he said.

Drawing a comparison with the Congress, Somashekar said the ruling party had managed its legislators more effectively ahead of the election.

"The Congress leadership brought all its MLAs together before the polling, trained them and took each legislator into confidence. Anticipating the possibility of cross-voting, they took all necessary precautions," he said.

"In contrast, BJP leaders did not do anything of that sort. They did not issue a whip to their MLAs. I have been informed by BJP legislators that they were contacted by party leaders only about an hour before polling began," he added.

Meanwhile, BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra is reaching Dharmasthala today and is scheduled to offer special prayers on Friday (June 26). Vijayendra had earlier proposed holding a BJP Legislature Party meeting at the pilgrimage centre, but senior party leaders reportedly opposed the move.

Karnataka Assembly Opposition leader R. Ashoka, along with State party President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra, on Tuesday met the party President Nitin Nabin in New Delhi and briefed him on the alleged cross-voting by BJP legislators during the recently concluded Karnataka Legislative Council elections.

The BJP leadership has constituted a fact-finding exercise to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the alleged cross-voting, which has triggered political debate within the party following the Legislative Council elections.

/IANS