Bengaluru, 27 May

The BJP on Tuesday expelled two of its MLAs in Karnataka, ST Somashekar and A Shivaram Hebbar, for six years for their alleged "anti-party activities," party's state president BY Vijayendra said.

The party high command took a decision after long deliberations, he told reporters here.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar criticised this action.

Somashekar and Hebbar represent Yashwanthpur and Yellapur assembly constituencies respectively and they were previously with Congress.

In 2019, they were among the 18 Congress and JDS MLAs who brought down the Congress-JDS coalition government headed by HD Kumaraswamy and helped the saffron party come to power for the fourth time in the state and made BS Yediyurappa Chief Minister. They were disqualified and switched to BJP.

The duo had won the 2023 Assembly election on the BJP ticket but soon started hobnobbing with the Congress, saffron party insiders said.

Somashekar and Hebbar were often ignored party’s diktat, instructions and had stopped attending the party meetings as well, party insiders told PTI.

In the Karnataka Assembly as well, they were seen supporting the ruling Congress, with which they were long associated before 2019, they alleged.

“They (two MLAs) were given long rope to rectify themselves but they ignored all the warnings. Finally they have been expelled from the party,” Vijayendra said.

According to the BJP state chief, their activities were often discussed in the party's state core committee meetings and the Central leadership was also apprised about them.

“We had insisted that some disciplinary action should be taken against them,” Vijayendra said.

The two MLAs did not immediately react to their expulsion.

In the letter, the member secretary of the BJP’s central disciplinary committee, Om Pathak said, “The committee has considered your response to the show cause notice dated 25th March 2025 and has taken serious note of your repeated violations of the party discipline.”

“It has accordingly been decided to expel you for a period of 6 [six] years with immediate effect from the primary membership of the party and you stand removed from any party position that you hold as of now,” the letter added.

Reacting sharply to their expulsion from BJP, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, “ST Somashekar and Hebbar have not raped anyone inside the Vidhana Soudha.”

Shivakumar said there are so many FIRs and investigations underway against some legislators.

Some BJP legislators tried to infect the leader of opposition with HIV and tried to trap former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa but no action was taken against them, he alleged.

With this, the number of BJP MLAs expelled in the state has risen to three.

The party had earlier expelled Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal for openly criticising Yediyurappa and his son BY Vijayendra.