JAIPUR: The BJP has shifted all its MLAs in Rajasthan to a five-star hotel in Jaipur ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections on Friday. Ironically, the opposition party has been questioning the ruling Congress for shifting its legislatures to a resort in the Pink City last week.
Over 190 of Rajasthan’s 200 MLAs are now in ‘political quarantine’ just three days before the polls. While Congress MLAs are holed up in JW Marriott hotel, BJP legislators have checked into Crown Plaza hotel.
The BJP, however, has termed the herding together of the MLAs a ‘Training Workshop’.
The MLAs were moved to the hotel after a meeting with central observer V Murlidhar and were given tips about the voting process for the Rajya Sabha elections. Former CM Vasundhara Raje has not joined the group but BJP sources claim she will reach Jaipur on Thursday and join the MLAs.
Apart from the threat of poaching and horse-trading, sources said that another reason for herding the MLAs is that both parties have about 30 first-time legislators who have never voted in RS polls. These MLAs need to be trained to ensure that no votes are wasted in these crucial elections.
Gulabchand Kataria, the leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly, said the BJP needed to organise a two-day camp to train the new lawmakers. Kataria justified fielding of the second candidate by BJP citing the same reason.
“If we had not put up a fourth candidate, then there would have been no need for voting and our first-time MLAs would not have got any experience or training of voting,” he claimed.
The BJP has fielded Rajendra Gehlot and Onkar Singh, while the Congress has named KC Venugopal and Neeraj Dangi for the three Rajya Sabha seats in the state. In Rajasthan, each candidate needs at least 51 votes to be elected.
Both Congress candidates are expected to get elected easily as the Congress has 107 MLAs in the assembly. It also enjoys the support of 13 Independents, two each from Left and BTP and one MLA from the RLD. The BJP has the support of three MLAs from the RLP in addition to its 72 MLAs.
‘Political quarantine’
Over 190 of Rajasthan’s 200 MLAs are now in ‘political quarantine’. While Congress MLAs are holed up in JW Marriott hotel, BJP legislators have checked into Crown Plaza.