Operation Lotus in Odisha?: Shivakumar alleges BJP inducing Congress MLAs ahead of RS polls

DK Shivakumar

• Congress alleges BJP pressuring Odisha MLAs for Rajya Sabha votes
• Six Odisha Congress MLAs moved to Bengaluru resort for safety
• Rajya Sabha polls for 37 seats scheduled for March 16

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Ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls on Monday, Karnataka deputy chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday alleged that the BJP is putting pressure on the Congress MLAs from Odisha and offering them big inducements to cross vote in favour of its Rajya Sabha candidate, amid fears of "Operation Lotus".

Shivakumar, who is the Congress Karnataka unit chief told reporters that the saffron party may orchestrate "Operation Lotus," due to which Congress MLAs from BJP-ruled Odisha have been flown to Bengaluru.

"Operation Lotus" is a term used by its rivals to claim about the BJP’s alleged backdoor attempts to get support of the MLAs from the opposite camp to either form a government or to win a seat in the Rajya Sabha election.

Resort politics returned to Congress' camp ahead as six Odisha Congress MLAs, including chief whip CS Raazen Ekka, reached Bengaluru on Thursday night.

The Congress MLAs are reportedly staying in a private resort in South Bengaluru district, under the watch of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, amid the speculations of cross-voting in the upcoming polls.

The six Congress MLAs, including Ashok Kumar Das, Prafulla Chandra Pradhan, Pabitra Saunta, Kadraka Appala Swamy, CS Raazen Ekka and Satyajeet Gomango, are staying in the resort with their families. A total of 14 people arrived from Odisha.

While Congress has not announced a candidate in Odisha, the party, along with Biju Janata Dal and Communist Party of India (Marxist), has decided to support a joint candidate, Datteshwar Hota.

The polling for the biennial elections to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to fill the 37 seats across 10 states is scheduled to take place on March 16, with the counting of votes on the same day at 5 pm.

The term of 37 members who were elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana will conclude in the month of April, vacating the seats for new members to be elected.

(With PTI inputs)