Karnataka: Two arrested for ‘attempting to bribe’ Odisha Congress MLAs ahead of Rajya Sabha polls
· Scroll
Two men were arrested in Karnataka on Sunday for allegedly attempting to bribe MLAs from the Odisha unit of the Congress a day ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, the Hindustan Times reported.
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Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to influence the legislators as part of “Operation Lotus” by offering them Rs 5 crore to cross-vote in favour of a candidate backed by the party, PTI reported.
“Operation Lotus” refers to the alleged attempts by the BJP to orchestrate defections and poach legislators from Opposition parties by offering them bribes and other incentives.
On Thursday, eight Congress MLAs from Odisha were moved to a resort near Bengaluru amid concerns about possible cross-voting in the election for four Rajya Sabha seats from the state.
Shivakumar added that two of the four persons allegedly involved in Sunday’s incident were apprehended at the resort, PTI reported.
Odisha Congress leader Ashok Kumar Das filed a complaint with the Bidadi police station in Karnataka naming the four persons as Birendra Prasad, Suresh, Ajit Kumar Sahu and Simachal Mohakud, the Hindustan Times reported.
Das also alleged that when the legislators rejected the alleged offer of Rs 5 crore each to cross-vote in the Rajya Sabha election, the individuals threatened to kill them if they returned to Odisha, India Today reported.
The BJP rejected the allegations.
Anil Biswal, a spokesperson...