Like Congress, BJP shifts Raj MLAs before RS polls

Jaipur, June 6: The BJP on Monday shifted most of its Rajasthan MLAs to a resort for a “training camp” ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections on June 10, days after a similar move by the state’s ruling Congress. While some MLAs reached the resort at Jamdoli on the JaipurAgra highway on their own, others took the two buses provided for them at the party office in the city.

Nearly 60 MLAs had reached the resort, a party leader said in the evening.

“This is a training camp in which the MLAs will be given training on the Rajya Sabha elections,” a party spokesperson said.

Senior leaders are expected to address sessions at the camp, apparently being held to keep the MLAs from being won over by the ruling party ahead of the election.

The Congress has already moved many of the party and independent MLAs to a hotel in Udaipur, saying it fears horse-trading by the BJP. CM Ashok Gehlot held a meeting with the legislators and asked them to stay united. The Congress has fielded three candidates from the state for the Rajya Sabha polls. The BJP nominated one candidate and is backing media baron Subhash Chandra as an Independent.

Congress sources said more than 100 MLAs, including 12 of the 13 independents, are present at the hotel in Udaipur.

All three of its candidates — Mukul Wasnik, Randeep Surjewala and Pramod Tiwari — are also present there.

Former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, meanwhile, reached Sriganganagar from New Delhi by train and was given a grand welcome by party workers and local people.

From there, he went to Punjab to meet singer Sidhu Moosewala’s family members. Moosewala was shot dead by assailants on May 29. Mr Pilot then left for New Delhi again.

He had gone to the national capital on Friday.

With the RS poll date closing in, DG of the AntiCorruption Bureau B.L. Soni held a meeting with officers and directed them to stay alert to check attempts at horse-trading.

The meeting followed the government’s chief whip and Cabinet minister Mahesh Joshi writing to the ACB against alleged attempts at horse-trading.