A day after Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot claimed that horse-trading rates in Rajasthan have gone up after the announcement of the Assembly session, Congress MLAs supporting the CM are now being shifted from the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur to Jaisalmer.

As per a tweet by news agency ANI, the MLAs were seen seated in a bus leaving Fairmont Hotel for the airport.

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The MLAs have been staying in the Jaipur hotel since July 13 after Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs rebelled against the government triggering a political crisis.

The Ashok Gehlot government is reportedly preparing to face a trust vote in the Assembly, the session for which was allowed by Governor Kalraj Mishra late Wednesday after he approved the revised proposal sent by the state government requesting to convene a special Assembly session on August 14.

The Governor, in his order, directed that all measures should be adopted during the conduct of the assembly session, as per the guidelines issued to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Governor, in his order, directed that all measures should be adopted during the conduct of the assembly session, as per the guidelines issued to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government, which is facing a political crisis after rebellion by 19 dissident Congress MLAs, including rebel party leader Sachin Pilot, wants to hold the assembly session to prove its majority.

Currently, the Congress has a narrow lead over the opposition and is only one past the majority mark of 101 in the 200-member Rajasthan assembly. Team Pilot claims the support of 30 MLAs; however, there is evidence of only 19. The BJP has 72. Including smaller parties and independent members, the opposition has 97 at the moment.

Meanwhile, according to a report in NDTV, the Congress MLAs are likely to stay in Jaisalmer till August 14.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had, in a latest taunt on Sachin Pilot camp and the BJP, said horse-trading rates in Rajasthan have gone higher as new rates have been announced soon after the Assembly session date was finalised.

Gehlot had also met the MLAs camping in Fairmont Hotel.

Soon after coming from the hotel, Gehlot looked altogether in a different mood and while talking to the media he said, “The rates of horse-trading have increased after a new assembly session has been announced. Earlier, the first installment was Rs 10 crore and second was Rs 15 crore for MLAs. However, now it’s going unlimited and everyone knows who is involved in doing horse trading,” and added that “no one knows who all have collected the first instalment as well.”

He also targeted Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, and accused her of taking the stand at the behest of BJP.

The Rajasthan CM also called those MLAs for floor test who were annoyed and said that as they won the elections on Congress sign and symbol, it is their duty to ensure that they stand with the party on the floor.