Sun Aug 31 13:12:23 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**Expelled BJP MLA Alleges Secret Power-Sharing Talks Between Karnataka Congress Leader and BJP State President**
KALABURAGI, India – August 31, 2025 – Basangouda Patil Yatnal, recently expelled from the BJP, has ignited a political storm in Karnataka by alleging secret negotiations between Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar and BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra.
Speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Yatnal claimed the two leaders met in New Delhi to explore a potential power-sharing agreement. Discussions reportedly centered around who would hold the positions of Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister should Shivakumar, along with a group of Congress MLAs, defect to the BJP.
“Mr. Shivakumar has one leg in the BJP,” Yatnal stated, suggesting a lack of widespread support from Congress legislators has kept Shivakumar from making a definitive move.
Yatnal further claimed that while Shivakumar boasts support from 60-70 Congress MLAs, BJP assessments estimate only 12-13 are truly loyal to him, with the majority aligning with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He stated he was asked his opinion of the number of Congress MLAs who were with the BJP by a senior BJP national leader. Yatnal claims to have advised BJP leaders against attempting to form a government with Shivakumar’s support.
Yatnal vehemently opposed any alliance between Shivakumar and Vijayendra. “If these two most corrupt politicians join hands… they will sell Karnataka,” he asserted, claiming that while Siddaramaiah’s policies were problematic, Shivakumar becoming Chief Minister would be intolerable.
Responding to questions about Shivakumar’s recent apology for singing an RSS anthem, Yatnal quipped that had Shivakumar instead praised Sonia Gandhi, he would have replaced Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister “overnight.”
**Summary of the Provided Text:**
The provided text is a news article published in “The Hindu” on August 31, 2025. It reports on claims made by recently expelled BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal about alleged secret discussions between Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar (Congress) and BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra. Yatnal claims the two met in New Delhi to discuss a potential power-sharing agreement, including who would be Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister if Shivakumar joined the BJP with a group of MLAs. Yatnal claims Shivakumar lacks the necessary support from Congress MLAs to make such a move. He strongly opposes any alliance between the two, calling them “corrupt” and claiming they would harm Karnataka. He also comments on Shivakumar’s recent singing of an RSS anthem. The text also includes a list of newsletter offerings from The Hindu.
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