Nine Odisha Congress MLAs arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru from Bhubaneswar on a special flight. Alarmed by the threat of the BJP’s "Operation Kamal" and the looming possibility of cross-voting, the Congress high command has picked Silicon City to shelter its MLAs in Bengaluru
Congress shifts Odisha MLAs to Bengaluru resort fearing horse-trading in RS elections
With RS race taking a dramatic turn, 9 Odisha MLAs are sequestered in a Bidadi resort under DKS's watch to insulate the party’s 14 votes from BJP poaching
The heat of "resort politics" has intensified ahead of the Odisha Rajya Sabha elections.
Alarmed by the threat of the BJP’s "Operation Kamal" and the looming possibility of cross-voting, the Congress high command has picked Silicon City to shelter its MLAs in Bengaluru. The Odisha MLAs, who are closeted in a luxury resort in Bidadi, are under the watchful eyes of Karnataka Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar.
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This is Congress's attempt to insulate its ranks from poaching attempts, as the elections to four Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha take sharp, exciting turns by the day. Amid fears of 'cross-voting' that could lure ruling BJP MLAs, 9 of the 14 Congress MLAs from Odisha arrived in Bengaluru on Thursday (March 12) night.
Tight security
The RS candidates
Troubleshooter returns to the ring
In the past too, when political storms were brewing in Gujarat and Maharashtra, the Congress had sent its MLAs to Bengaluru under the protection of DK Shivakumar. Even now, the high command has entrusted the responsibility of the Odisha Congress MLAs to Shivakumar. These MLAs are likely to remain at the Bidadi resort till the polling day on March 16.
Odisha MLAs are garlanded on their arrival at the Bengaluru International Airport
In the 147-member Odisha Assembly, the ruling BJP is currently strong with 79 seats, while the Opposition BJD has 50 and the Congress has 14 MLAs. Since every vote is crucial in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, preventing its MLAs from cross-voting has become a big challenge for the Congress, which has only 14 seats.