Wary of cross-voting, Congress shifts MLAs to Udaipur resort

The legislators are expected to remain there till June 9, a before polling for four Rajya Sabha seats is scheduled to be held.

“We will win all the seats,” said MLA Rafeek Khan, who was at the resort to oversee the preparations for the incoming legislators.

While the Congress has fielded Randeep Singh Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tiwari, the opposition BJP has nominated Ghanshyam Tiwari as its candidate, besides offering support to media baron Subhash Chandra, who is contesting as an Independent.

The Congress, which has 108 MLAs in the state Assembly, needs 15 more votes from outside the party for its candidates to sail through. The party claims it enjoys the support of 18 non-Congress legislators — 13 Independents, one from Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and two each from the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) and the Communist Party of India — although the BTP has not officially vowed support. Support of some independent MLAs seem to be doubtful as well.

In 2020, ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls, the Congress had similarly moved its MLAs to resorts after alleging there were plans by the BJP to bribe MLAs into cross-voting for its candidates.

This time, apart from the fears of cross-voting, what is adding to the ruling party’s fears is BJP-backed Chandra’s proximity to some Independents.

The BJP, on the other hand, is also expected to herd its MLAs beginning Monday.

The opposition party needs just 11 votes apart from its own 71 MLAs. Although the RLP has said its three MLAs will not support either the Congress or the BJP, it is believed its votes will be for the BJP.

Taking a jibe at the saffron party, cabinet minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said: “They (the BJP) are saying it’s not baadabandi (sequestering) but a training camp. So in their training camp will they teach how to lie, commit sins and fraud and how to break away votes and exchange money?”

BJP leader and former CM Vasundhara Raje in turn attacked the Congress government and said: “I am surprised at the misuse of power in the Rajya Sabha elections and how a police vehicle has been put after each MLA, and the way the MLAs are being followed. It is entirely a misuse of power.

“Despite that I believe that whether it is Ghanshyam Tiwari ji or Subhash Chandra ji, who is also a family friend, that the MLAs will rise above the party line and vote for our candidates and make them successful.”