Terming the cross-voting in the Legislative Council election in the State as “unfortunate”, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has said that the BJP high command had taken the issue seriously and would take stern action against the issue.

Speaking to press persons in Hubballi on Saturday, Mr. Joshi said that those who cross-voted would regret it in the future.

“It seems a few did it for the sake of money. The party high command has taken it seriously, and a committee has already been constituted. The high command is observing everything,“ he said

Mr. Joshi added that BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra and Opposition Leader R. Ashok would be visiting New Delhi to discuss the issue with the high command.

On the possibility of a change in the party’s leadership in the State, Mr. Joshi said that he was not aware of the State president being changed. The party would take suitable action at a suitable time, he said.

On his name being in circulation for the State president’s post, he said that when Rajnath Singh was the national president, he had assumed office as the State president as per Mr. Singh’s direction. “But now I am a Minister in the Union Cabinet. I am not in the race for party presidentship,” he said.

On the political developments in West Bengal and Maharashtra, Mr. Joshi said that as the MPs and legislators of the TMC and the Shiva Sena had found out that there was no future in their respective parties, and now they were leaving their parties to join the BJP.

Mocking Home Minister Priyank Kharge for his letter to RSS on its legal status, he said that Priyank Kharge was probably doing it under the impression that if he scolded the RSS, he might get the Chief Minister’s post in the future.

He said that Mr. Kharge’s actions reminded him of an old gramophone struck while playing a record. The gramophone would repeat one line continuously when stuck. Similarly, Mr. Kharge’s words had no meaning, he said.

He also said that, as RSS “pramukhs” had already responded to the issue of Mr. Kharge’s letter, speaking about it would be irrelevant.