Two MLAs, one from the ruling BJP and the other from the Janata Dal(S), resigned their assembly membership on Friday as they plan their political future in rival parties ahead of the May 10 assembly polls.

BJP member NY Gopalakrishna (Kudligi) and JD(S) MLA AT Ramaswamy (Arakalgud) quit their assembly membership. Ramaswamy is expected to join the Congress while Gopalakrishna is rumoured to seek a Congress ticket for his son. Gopalakrishna was in the Congress, before he moved to the BJP and won the Kudligi seats in 2018 after the Congress denied him a ticket.

Apart from Ramaswamy, the JD(S) is expected to see another exit in KM Shivalinge Gowda (Arasikere) from Hassan district. Gowda too is expected to contest on a Congress ticket.

The JD(S) saw the exit of SR Srinivas (Gubbi) while its MLA K Srinivasa Gowda has already identified himself with the Congress. Srinivas is expected to seek re-election from a Congress ticket, while Gowda may contest from Kolar on a Congress ticket if former chief minister Siddaramaiah does not contest from there.

Congress Communication department head Priyank Kharge recently told ET that his party was expecting eight to 10 strong leaders, including sitting MLAs, to come from the BJP. The party is in contact with BJP and JD(S) MLAs, according to sources, though chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has maintained no one would leave the ruling party. The Congress, Bommai had said, was trying to contact the BJP lawmakers as it did not have candidates who could win in the polls.

There were speculations that ministers KC Narayana Gowda (KR Pet) and V Somanna (Govindarajanagar) would also join the Congress, but the BJP has been able to persuade both of them to stay back.

Two BJP members of the legislative council, Baburao Chinchansur and Puttanna, also quit their membership of the upper house a few days ago. While Chinchansur is an aspirant from Gurmitkal in Kalaburagi district, Puttanna is the Congress candidate from Rajajinagar in Bengaluru. Many years ago, Mallikarjuna Kharge represented Gurmitkal in the Karnataka assembly.Independent MLA H Nagesh, who was a minister in the BJP government, has moved over to the Congress and will contest from Mahadevapura in Bengaluru.

The Congress and JD(S) have held back the announcement of their candidates in a few seats where they are expecting members from the other parties to join them. The BJP has not put out its first list yet.