Operation Kamala

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Operation Kamala, also known as Operation Lotus is a term coined in 2008, when India's former minister G. Janardhana Reddy in the state of Karnataka, used various strategies, including persuasion and financial incentives to secure support from legislators bypassing the anti-defection law, so as to take the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) past the majority number. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Operation Lotus refers to "poaching" or "bribing" of MLAs and MPs of other parties by the BJP, mainly of their rival the Indian National Congress party (INC), often to form government in states where they do not have the majority. [6]

Contents

Delhi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that "BJP has spent Rs 6,500 crore [65 billion] rupees on buying 277 MLAs, they also tried to buy Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) MLAs in Delhi, and they offered 20 crores to each. They brought Rs 800 crores to buy MLAs of Delhi." [7] Kejriwal conducted a floor test in the Delhi Assembly to prove that his government continued to have the majority in the assembly and BJP's alleged Operation Lotus in Delhi had failed to poach AAP MLAs. CM successfully proved his majority in the legislature. [8] [9]

Goa

2019

In July 2019 fourteen members of Indian National Congress switched their parties and joined Bharatiya Janata Party. [10] [11]

List of MLAs
No.Assembly ConstituencyMLANotes
#Name
122 Siroda Subhash Shirodkar In 2017 changed party from Congress to BJP
21 Mandrem Dayanand Sopte In 2019 changed party from Congress to BJP
34 Tivim Nilkanth Halarnkar In 2019 changed party from Congress to BJP
47 Saligao Jayesh Salgaonkar In 2019 changed party from GFP to BJP
59 Porvorim Rohan Khaunte In 2019 changed party from Independent to BJP
611 Panaji Atanasio Monserrate In 2019 changed party from Congress to BJP
712 Taleigao Jennifer Monserrate In 2019 changed party from Congress to BJP
813 St. Cruz Antonio Fernandes in 2019 changed party from Congress to BJP
914 St. Andre Francisco Silveira in 2019 changed party from Congress to BJP
1019 Valpoi Vishwajit Pratapsingh Rane In 2019 changed party from Congress to BJP
1128 Nuvem Wilfred D'sa in 2019 changed party from Congress to BJP
1234 Cuncolim Clafasio Dias in 2019 changed party from Congress to BJP
1335 Velim Filipe Nery Rodrigues in 2019 changed party from Congress to BJP
1436 Quepem Chandrakant Kavlekar in 2019 changed party from Congress to BJP
1540 Canacona Isidore Fernandes in 2019 changed party from Congress to BJP
1621 Ponda Ravi Naik In 2021 changed party from Congress to BJP

2022

On 14 September 2022, 8 Congress MLAs switched to BJP. [12] Former Chief Minister of Goa Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo, along with other 6 Congress MLAs joined Bharatiya Janata Party, after meeting Dr. Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa from BJP. [13] [14]

No.ConstituencyNameRemarks
6 Siolim Delilah Lobo Defected from Congress to BJP on 14 September 2022 [12]
7 Saligao Kedar Naik Defected from Congress to BJP on 14 September 2022 [12]
8 Calangute Michael Lobo Defected from Congress to BJP on 14 September 2022 [12]
13 St. Cruz Rodolfo Louis Fernandes Defected from Congress to BJP on 14 September 2022 [12]
15 Cumbarjua Rajesh Faldessai Defected from Congress to BJP on 14 September 2022 [12]
24 Mormugao Sankalp Amonkar Defected from Congress to BJP on 14 September 2022 [12]
28 Nuvem Aleixo Sequeira Defected from Congress to BJP on 14 September 2022 [12]
31 Margao Digambar Kamat Defected from Congress to BJP on 14 September 2022 [12]

Karnataka

2008

The BJP won 110 seats in the assembly elections in May 2008, falling three seats short of a simple majority. With the backing of six independents, Yeddyurappa took the oath of office as chief minister to establish the first BJP administration in south India. But to further secure the stability of the administration, the BJP lured seven MLAs—three from the Congress and four from the JD(S) in an operation purportedly funded by mining tycoon and former BJP minister Janardhan Reddy of Bellary—by offering them money and power. The BJP scored five victories in the by-elections, bringing its total in the 224-member assembly to 115. Operation Kamala eventually became the name of the entire exercise. [15]

The MLAs who switched parties during the Operation Kamala and resigned are J. Narasimha Swamy, Anand Asnotikar, Jaggesh, Balachandra Jarkiholi, K. Shivanagouda Naik. Umesh Katti and D. C. Gourishankar. [16] [17] [18]

2019

Ramesh Jarkiholi organized 14 other Congress MLAs to resign their posts. [19] Ramesh Jarkiholi was one of the 15 MLAs from Congress and 2 from JD(S) who resigned in July 2019, bringing down the HDK Congress-JD(S) coalition and allowing B.S. Yeddyurappa (BSY) to return to power. [20] After Supreme Court ruling held up their disqualification but allowed them to run, Jarkiholi joined BJP along with all other rebels inducted by Yeddyurappa and other important persons. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

Investigations

Reactions

Madhya Pradesh

The crisis started when long loyalist Congress politician Jyotiraditya Scindia suddenly went to Delhi and resigned from Congress and joined BJP. This led to many supporters of him resigning from Congress as well. Hardeep Singh Dang resigned from the assembly membership and consequently from Indian National Congress, citing in a letter, 'ignorance from his party' and then joined BJP on March 21, 2020, along with 21 others. [31] [32] [33] Ultimately, this exodus led to the fall of the Kamal Nath government.

See also

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Further reading