Ahmedabad: The Congress has shifted 44 of its MLAs from Gujarat to a resort outside Bengaluru in order to fend off what they call 'horse trading', by the BJP ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha election in the state.
Out of the 57 Congress MLAs in the state, at least seven of them resigned from the party in the last two days with three of them joining the BJP.
Gujarat Congress general secretary Nishit Vyas, however, claimed that the party decided to shift the MLAs as they faced threat and were offered bribe by the saffron party.
"It was for the safety and security of the MLAs who are being threatened if they do not agree to switch sides... that is why we decided to bring them to Bengaluru," Nishit Vyas reportedly told the PTI.
However, two Congress MLAs have reportedly expressed their displeasure over the lawmakers being moved to Bengaluru at the time when flood crisis has deepened in Gujarat.
A section of the Congress’ legislators claimed that seven MLAs decided against going with them to Bengaluru. The seven include Vaghela, who has already quit the party, and his MLA son Mahendrasinh Vaghela.
Party sources said Bengaluru was chosen as Congress has its government in Karnataka. The MLAs have been kept at a resort some 50 km from Bengaluru city, Vyas confirmed without divulging more details.
In the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, the strength of the Congress has gone down to 51 from 57. The desertions have cast a shadow on the fate of Ahmed Patel, who has been renominated by the Congress in the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.
