After three Congress MLAs resigned ahead of the June 19 Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat, the party has shifted as many as 25 legislators to a private resort in Rajasthan to prevent poaching by the ruling BJP.
The MLAs have been reportedly shifted to Wild Wings Resort in Sirohi, allegedly flouting the lockdown norms. Four of them were shifted on Friday.
Patan MLA Kirit Patel said those who wanted to leave the Congress had left. “Now we are all together. No one can lure us,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has questioned the Congress move of shifting MLAs to Rajasthan amid the lockdown.
“The shifting of MLAs to a resort in Rajasthan shows how much pressure the Congress must be under in the present circumstances. Even the party high command didn’t think of lockdown norms and sent MLAs to Rajasthan knowing well about the coronavirus risk for these many people,” said a BJP leader.
Earlier too, Gujarat MLAs had been shifted to a Jaipur resort to prevent poaching when the elections were scheduled for March 26.
The Rajya Sabha elections to 18 seats were postponed due to lockdown. It is now scheduled on June 19. MLAs will vote for 4 seats in Gujarat and 3 in Rajasthan.
The latest MLA to quit the party is Morbi legislator, Brijesh Merja, who tendered his resignation to the State Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi on Friday.
On Thursday, two MLAs Akshay Patel and Jitu Bhai Chaudhary from Kaprada constituencies had resigned voluntarily from their posts.
This has brought down the strength of the Congress in the state assembly to 65, whereas the BJP has 103 members in the house.
With the reduced strength at 65, the Congress may find it difficult to win two Rajya Sabha seats for which it has fielded senior leaders Bharatsinh Solanki and Shaktisinh Gohil.
A party MLA said Solanki remains the second preference after Gohil, and that they will vote as per the directive of the party on June 19.
Earlier in March, five Congress MLAs had resigned just days after polls were announced and before the lockdown was enforced. These include Somabhai Patel, Praveen Maru, JV Kakadia, Mangal Gavit and Pradyuman Singh Jadeja.
The exodus started after the ruling BJP fielded the fifth candidate, Narhari Amin, who is a former Congressman and also a businessman.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan too seems to be feeling the political turbulence with Rajya Sabha polls approaching.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had accused BJP of trying to destabilise his government too after toppling the government in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
The CM in his statement said, “BJP follows one policy – to buy MLAs and to bring them under their fold. Even in Rajasthan, such attempts are being made. However, I will strongly fight all these attempts”.