Rajya Sabha polls: Congress moves 8 Odisha MLAs to Karnataka due to cross-voting fears

The aggressive gatekeeping operations come against the backdrop of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) extending its support to Dilip Ray, a former union minister who is contesting the Rajya Sabha election as an Independent.

The Congress, which has 14 MLAs in the Odisha assembly, sent nine of its MLAs to a resort just outside Bengaluru on Thursday night. According to party leaders, the nine MLAs along with Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das landed at Kempegowda International Airport. They have been accommodated at Wonderla Resort in Ramanagara district and are expected to return to Bhubaneswar on Sunday evening, a day ahead of the polling on Monday.

Among those who have gone to Bengaluru are Ashok Kumar Das, Sagar Charan Das, Prafulla Chandra Pradhan, Mangu Khila, Pabitra Saunta, Nilamadhav Hikaka, Kadraka Appala Swamy, C S Raazen Ekka, and Satyajeet Gomango.