Fearing poaching of its legislators by the BJP ahead of Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat, the Congress party on Saturday decided to move its MLAs to party-ruled Rajasthan.
More than a dozen legislators were flown to Jaipur on Saturday evening while another batch will be taken to Udaipur by road on Sunday.
Read More | I have sacrificed everything and joined the BJP, says Jyotiraditya Scindia
“We are shifting our members to Rajasthan because the BJP with use of money power and government agencies is trying poach them,” said senior Congress legislator Harshad Ribadia.
According to party sources, more than 50 legislators will be kept in two different batches in Jaipur and Udaipur while around 15-20 MLAs will remain in the State to attend Assembly proceedings since Budget session is underway.
“We all are united against BJP, which is desperate to break the opposition party’s strength with money. Several BJP leaders tried to approach our members offering huge money and ministerial positions,” said Gandhinagar North MLA C.J. Chavda. He added that the Congress members will not fall for BJP’s offers.
There are five candidates in the fray for four Rajya Sabha seats in the State, with the the BJP, fielding three candidates despite being short of numbers.
‘Hunger for power’ more important for some, says Digvijaya Singh on Scindia joining BJP
“The fact that the ruling party has fielded a third candidate despite not having required numbers makes it amply clear that the BJP is up for something unethical and undemocratic and we have to guard our members against the BJP’s onslaught,” a senior Congress leader said.
The opposition party has fielded two of its senior leaders Shaktisinh Gohil and Bharatsinh Solanki for two seats of Rajya Sabha while BJP has fielded three candidates. BJP’s third candidate is Narhari Amin, a former Congress leader who had defected to the saffron party in 2012 when he was denied a ticket by Congress. Since then, he is with BJP but has not been fielded either for Assembly or Parliament.
