Gujarat BJP keeps MLAs 145;safe146;

The knee-jerk reaction came after rebel BJP MLA Dhiru Gajera8217;s open threat that he and other dissidents will vote for Pratibha Patil.

BJP sources said immediately after the luncheon meeting of party MLAs at a farmhouse near Gandhinagar, the state leadership decided to 8220;hide8221; the MLAs at different destinations to ensure that they vote for NDA-backed candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in the Presidential polls to be held on Thursday. Sources said the MLAs would be kept here the whole night, and 8220;released8221; from their 8220;captivity8221; only a couple of hours before the voting process for the Presidential polls begins on Thursday.

At the luncheon meeting, Chief Minister Narendra Modi and State BJP chief Purshottam Rupala advised them against toeing the dissidents8217; line on polling day.

8220;Our party leaders are obviously scared of my appeal to the BJP MLAs to vote for Pratibha Patil to teach a lesson to Advani who has betrayed the party workers like us and also failed to protect the state8217;s interests by supporting CM Narendra Modi. Otherwise, they would not have kidnapped our party colleagues on the eve of the Presidential polls,8221; senior rebel MLA Dhiru Gajera told The Indian Express.

With Mahesh Langa