Congress flies Odisha MLAs to Bengaluru resort

With the Rajya Sabha elections only days away, the Congress has moved a group of its Odisha legislators to Bengaluru in an attempt to keep its flock together amid rising concerns about cross-voting and political manoeuvring in the state.

Party sources said eight Congress MLAs from Odisha were flown out of Bhubaneswar late on Thursday night, and shifted to a private resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru, where they are expected to stay until just before the March 16 election.

The move comes after the BJP fielded a second candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat, a development that has heightened political tension and triggered intense behind-the-scenes calculations.

According to Congress insiders, the decision to move the legislators out of the state was taken as a precaution to prevent any attempt to influence or poach lawmakers ahead of the vote.

With numbers tight, the party leadership is keen to ensure that its legislators remain together until polling day.

A senior Congress functionary said the leadership was unwilling to take any risks in a contest that could hinge on even a single vote.

The party, he indicated, wanted to ensure that its MLAs remained insulated from possible inducements or political bargaining in the crucial days before the election.

Sources said the Congress currently has 14 MLAs in the Odisha Assembly, and will require support beyond its own strength to secure the Rajya Sabha seat for its nominee.

The entry of a second BJP candidate has significantly complicated the arithmetic, prompting the party to take extraordinary steps to safeguard its numbers.

More legislators could soon join the group in Bengaluru. Party sources said four more MLAs are expected to arrive in the city by Saturday morning, which would further tighten the party's internal coordination ahead of the vote.

Senior Congress leaders in Karnataka have coordinated the arrangements for the visiting lawmakers. The MLAs are staying at a resort located inside an amusement park complex nearly 35 km from the city.

Party leaders said the legislators were likely to remain there until Monday morning, before flying back to Bhubaneswar to cast their votes.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar denied that he had summoned the Odisha Congress MLAs to Bengaluru to shield them from cross-voting, even as he confirmed that he would meet them later.

Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said the legislators had travelled to Bengaluru on their own, and not at his invitation. He indicated that the request had come from the Odisha Pradesh Congress leadership, which sought help in arranging accommodation for the visiting MLAs.

Shivakumar said the legislators had expressed a desire to visit Bengaluru and asked for a comfortable place to stay, following which arrangements were made.

He said he had not yet met them as the Assembly session in Karnataka was underway, but would do so after the proceedings conclude.

When asked about speculation that he had been tasked with preventing cross-voting, the Congress leader said parties often took steps to keep their legislators together during tightly contested elections, and such arrangements were nothing unusual in Indian politics.

He also brushed aside suggestions of any organised attempt to engineer defections, saying he was unaware of any such developments.

Congress leaders accompanying the Odisha MLAs confirmed that about 20 rooms had been booked at the resort to accommodate the legislators, along with their personal staff and family members.