Bommai refutes claims of V Somanna leaving BJP; says ‘I am continuously in touch with him’

Amid the ongoing speculations of BJP leader and Karnataka Housing Minister V Somanna leaving the saffron party ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday refuted the claims calling them rumours. Terming the BJP leader an old friend, Bommai said that Somanna is not planning to join Congress and will remain with the party. 

“We both are old friends and continuously remain in touch. He will remain with us in the future also no need to spread any rumours,” Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said after meeting V Somanna amid rumours of him joining Congress.

The Chief Minister’s comments came after speculations were rife that V Somanna, a minister in Karnataka Cabinet, will ditch the saffron camp and join Congress after BJP did not include his name in the party’s election management committee.

V Somanna hints at his exit from BJP 

After the name of Karnataka Housing Minister V Somanna’s name was excluded from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s list of Election Campaign Committee ahead of the upcoming polls in Karnataka, Somanna last week hinted at leaving the saffron party stating, “I'm flowing water.”

"I am not stagnant water. I'm flowing water. The people of the constituency have seen me as their own son. I have not spoken a word about anyone. I will speak about some issues with the state president of the party and the Chief Minister," Somanna said after BJP announced its Karnataka election committees for the upcoming polls scheduled for this year. 

Notably, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will be handling the chairmanship of the campaign committee. Apart from this, the majority of the candidates in the committee are Union ministers, including Pralhad Joshi, Shobha Karandlaje, and Bhagavanta Khuba.

Karnataka polls 2023

As the Karnataka Legislative Assembly's tenure will end in May this year, the state is all set to witness the crucial elections. However, the dates for the polls have yet not been revealed by the Election Commission. The Assembly elections earlier in the state took place in 2018, following which a coalition between the Janata Dal (Secular) and Indian National Congress formed the government, with HD Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister of the state. 

However, the coalition government collapsed in July 2019 as several Congress and JD(S) members resigned. BS Yediyurappa was appointed Chief Minister after the state government was subsequently formed by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Yediyurappa also resigned from his post as the Chief Minister in July 2021 and Basavaraj Bommai was sworn in as the next Chief Minister in July 2021.