Rajya Sabha polls | Rajasthan, Haryana Congress MLAs moved to resorts to prevent poaching

Rajya Sabha polls are expected to go down to the wire with emergence of BJP-backed independent candidates

As the Rajya Sabha polls in Haryana and Rajasthan are expected to go down to the wire with the emergence of BJP-backed independent candidates, the Congress on Thursday moved its MLAs from these States to resorts to prevent poaching.

While the Haryana lawmakers have been moved to party-ruled Chhattisgarh in an attempt to keep the flock together, the lawmakers from Rajasthan will be sequestered in the hotel near Udaipur where the party's Chintan Shivir was held last month.

Elections to four Rajya Sabha seats in Rajasthan and two in Haryana will take place on June 10.

About 40 Congress MLAs and some Independents in Rajasthan boarded a luxury bus from the Chief Minister's residence in Civil Lines, where they were called for lunch after a two-day workshop of the Pradesh Congress Committee got over.

The bus was escorted by a police team, while several Ministers left for Udaipur by their own vehicles. Another bus ferrying a second batch of MLAs was scheduled to leave late in the evening while Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot would reach by plane.

Of the four seats in the fray, the Congress can comfortably send two candidates — Randeep Surjewala and Mukul Wasnik — but the contest has become tighter for the third seat where it has fielded Pramod Tiwari. The party is short by 11 votes and will need the vote of its allies and independents to ensure Mr. Tiwari’s victory.

The BJP, which has fielded former Minister Ghanshyam Tiwari as its official candidate, is also supporting media baron Subhash Chandra contesting as an Independent.