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Updated June 1st, 2022 at 23:20 IST

Rajasthan: Congress to shift party MLAs to Udaipur hotel ahead of Rajya Sabha polls

"The MLAs have been asked to reach Udaipur. Some are likely to go today and the rest will be reaching Udaipur tomorrow," a source said.

Congress
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The Congress has decided to shift its MLAs in Rajasthan to a Udaipur hotel, with party sources saying they fear that the BJP will poach them ahead of the June 10 Rajya Sabha elections.

"The MLAs have been asked to reach Udaipur. Some are likely to go today and the rest will be reaching Udaipur tomorrow," a source said.

Independent legislators and those belonging to other parties and supporting the ruling outfit will also be shifted to Udaipur. The MLAs will stay in the hotel where the Congress Chintan Shivir was held last month.

The Congress decision reminds of two instances in 2020 when the party shifted its MLAs to a hotel ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls and during a political crisis triggered by the rebellion of party leader Sachin Pilot and 18 MLAs close to him. The fresh move has come a day after media baron Subhash Chandra, who is backed by the BJP, filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls.

Chandra is currently a member of the Upper House of Parliament from Haryana and his term is going to expire on August 1.

The filing of papers by him as an independent candidate had prompted Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to allege that the BJP wants to indulge in horse trading.

Gehlot made the statement as the ruling Congress with its 108 MLAs in the state Assembly is set to win two of the four seats going to the elections on June 10.

After winning two seats, the Congress will have 26 surplus votes, 15 short of the required 41 to win the third seat.

On the other hand, the BJP has 71 MLAs in the state Assembly and set to win one seat, after which it will be left with 30 surplus votes.

Gehlot and the Congress candidates had on Tuesday held a meeting with 10 of 13 independent MLAs in Rajasthan.

Earlier on Wednesday, BJP leader Rajendra Rathore targeted CM Gehlot, saying the Congress leader himself is an expert in "elephant trading", referring to the election symbol of the BSP, whose six MLAs had defected to the Congress in 2019.

The Deputy Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly alleged that the Congress government has failed to give any report card of its works and has been in hotels ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections in the past.

"This time too the chief minister has indicated to keep all Congress MLAs together before the Rajya Sabha elections," he said.

"The chief minister has made a record of 'badabandi' (fortification). Why are they in fear? Who is bearing the expense of this," the BJP leader asked.

The Bahujan Samaj Party also wrote to Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Assembly Speaker C P Joshi demanding that the six party MLAs who had defected to the Congress be barred from voting in the Rajya Sabha polls.

State BSP president Bhagwan Singh Baba in the letter said a case under the Anti-Defection Law is going on against the MLAs in the Supreme Court.

"In such a situation, these six MLAs should be stopped from voting in the Rajya Sabha elections because the BSP has decided that it will not support any party or independent in the Rajya Sabha elections," Baba said.

Reacting to this, state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra said the six MLAs had merged with the Congress and now they are party legislators.

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Published June 1st, 2022 at 23:20 IST

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