Who are the JD(S) MLAs who moved to BJP in 2019?

The BJP's return to power in Karnataka in 2019 was down to B S Yediyurappa being instrumental in engineering the defection of 16 MLAs from the Congress-JD(S) camp.

Of the 16 who either resigned from the Assembly or flocked to the BJP, three were from the JD(S) – A H Vishwanath, K Gopalaiah, and Narayana Gowda.

While Gowda and Gopalaiah are currently part of the state Cabinet, Vishwanath is a part of the state Legislative Council.

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Gowda holds two ministries — Minister of Youth Empowerment and Sports, Minister of Planning, Program monitoring and Statistics department. He had previously held the Municipal Administration and Horticulture portfolios. Gowda was elected to the Assembly from Krishnarajpet constituency. Like his JD(S) peers, he left the party in 2019 and joined the BJP.

Gopalaiah, on the other hand, was inducted into the Cabinet during the reshuffle in January. He was handed the Excise Ministry portfolio. After winning the Mahalakshmi Layout seat in the 2018 Assembly elections, Gopalaiah quit the JD(S). He then joined the BJP, and also won the byelection that followed for the same seat in 2019.

Vishwanath is presently a part of the state Legislative Council after having lost the Hunasuru Assembly bypolls. More recently, Vishwanath had criticised the pontiffs who extended their support to Yediyurappa ahead of his exit.