Congress Relocates Legislators to Secure Votes Ahead of Rajya Sabha Elections
In a strategic move to safeguard against potential horse-trading, the Congress party has transported nine of its fourteen Odisha MLAs to a resort in Bengaluru and thirty-two of its Haryana legislators to the hills of Himachal Pradesh. This action initiates the familiar political practice of unscheduled vacations as parties aim to protect their members from external influences prior to the crucial March 16 Rajya Sabha polls.
Odisha: Congress and BJD Take Precautionary Measures
In Bhubaneswar, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), led by former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, has organized mandatory evening meetings for its legislators over three consecutive days to ensure party discipline and unity. Both Congress and BJD are supporting independent candidate Datteswar Hota for one of the four Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha, among the thirty-seven seats nationwide up for election.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das accompanied the Congress MLAs on Friday to the Wonderla resort in Bidadi, Bengaluru South, where they will remain until at least the eve of the election. Congress Legislature Party chief Rama Chandra Kadam stated, "Nine of our colleagues are on a leisurely weekend trip while five of us are here. You know how BJP is openly trying to trade MLAs. But our colleagues remain united."
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar, who is overseeing arrangements at the resort, explained that the MLAs were brought to Bengaluru after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded a second candidate for the four seats. "There are concerns about cross-voting and attempts to influence MLAs with big offers," he emphasized.
In the 147-member Odisha assembly, the ruling BJP holds seventy-nine MLAs and anticipates support from three independents, while the BJD has forty-eight legislators. A candidate requires at least thirty first-preference votes to secure a seat. Under this calculation, two BJP candidates and one BJD candidate are expected to win comfortably. For the fourth seat, BJP has extended its support to independent candidate Dilip Ray, a former Union minister.
Haryana: Congress MLAs Shift to Shimla Amid Voting Concerns
In Haryana, thirty-two Congress MLAs gathered at the Chandigarh residence of Congress Legislature Party leader Bhupinder Hooda for a meeting attended by All India Congress Committee general secretary BK Hariprasad and Pradesh Congress Committee president Rao Narender Singh. Following a voting drill, the legislators were transported in two buses to Shimla, according to sources.
Notably, MLAs Chandermohan and Olympian Vinesh Phogat did not join the trip, with Chandermohan reportedly unwell. With forty-eight seats, the BJP is confident that its candidate, Sanjay Bhatia, will secure victory. Congress, with thirty-seven members, needs thirty-one first-preference votes for its candidate, Karamvir Singh Boudh, to win. The presence of independent candidate Satish Nandal has complicated the equation for the second seat, leading Congress to be cautious of a repeat of the 2022 defeat of Ajay Maken due to cross-voting.
This relocation strategy underscores the high-stakes nature of the Rajya Sabha elections, with parties taking extreme measures to maintain loyalty and prevent defections in a politically charged environment.
