Overview

• On May 27 the BJP’s central disciplinary committee expelled Yeshwanthpur MLA S T Somashekar and Yellapur MLA A Shivaram Hebbar for six years over alleged anti-party activities.
• Both legislators were accused of cross-voting and abstaining in key Assembly and Rajya Sabha elections, hobnobbing with Congress leaders and publicly criticizing BJP leadership.
• Originally part of Congress, the two defected to the BJP in 2019 under Operation Lotus, served as ministers and then drifted back toward the Congress after the BJP’s 2023 defeat in Karnataka.
• State BJP president B Y Vijayendra said the expulsions followed detailed responses to March show-cause notices and recommendations from the party’s Karnataka core committee to shore up organizational discipline ahead of local polls.
• Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar condemned the move as disproportionate, pointing out that other BJP legislators facing serious criminal allegations have not faced similar punishment.