<div>The state Congress leaders have shifted about eight Independent MLAs and legislators of smaller parties to a hotel in Mumbai, fearing horse-trading ahead of the Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Council polls. <br /><br />The party has entrusted the responsibility of keeping the MLAs together till the elections are over to its leaders S T Somashekar and Byrati Basavaraj- close confidants of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. <br /><br />The Independent MLAs were flown to Mumbai from Bengaluru on Sunday evening. They will be brought back to Bengaluru on June 9. <br /><br />Elections to the Council and the Rajya Sabha are scheduled for June 10 and 11 respectively.<br /><br />But, the Congress leaders are not disclosing names of the MLAs kept in Mumbai. Satish K Sail, Mankal S Vaidya, Arvind C Patil, Ashok Kheny are among the MLAs who are said to be in Mumbai. A majority of these MLAs were not reachable over the phone.<br /><br /> Speculations were rife in the political circles that the ruling party has sent a group of non-Congress MLAs on a foreign junket, in an attempt to keep them safe from poaching. However, there was no confirmation from the party on this. <br /><br />The Independents and MLAs of smaller parties are in high demand as both the Congress and the JD(S) are falling short of about a dozen votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat. The Assembly has nine Independents and seven MLAs belonging to four smaller parties, including the BSR Congress and KJP. <br /><br />The ruling party needs the support of about 13 non-Congress MLAs to ensure the election of its third Rajya Sabha candidate, K C Ramamurthy. JD(S) candidate B M Farook, too, has to muster the support of over a dozen non-JD(S) MLAs to win the election. About 12 of these MLAs, including nine Independents, had initially pledged their support to Farook. But later they decided to back the Congress.<br /><br />Sources in the Congress said the party has decided not to take any risk as far as the support of Independents and MLAs of smaller parties is concerned in the wake of a sting operation on horse-trading. <br /><br />The MLAs were shown discussing sale of votes in the sting operation done by two national news channels. Hence, it was decided to shift these MLAs to Mumbai, the sources added.<br /><br />When contacted, Somashekar, who is also Congress MLA from Yeshwanthpura constituency, claimed he was very much in Bengaluru.A television channel found that the independent legislators, along with Somashekar, were staying at JW Marriott in Mumbai.<br /></div>
<div>The state Congress leaders have shifted about eight Independent MLAs and legislators of smaller parties to a hotel in Mumbai, fearing horse-trading ahead of the Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Council polls. <br /><br />The party has entrusted the responsibility of keeping the MLAs together till the elections are over to its leaders S T Somashekar and Byrati Basavaraj- close confidants of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. <br /><br />The Independent MLAs were flown to Mumbai from Bengaluru on Sunday evening. They will be brought back to Bengaluru on June 9. <br /><br />Elections to the Council and the Rajya Sabha are scheduled for June 10 and 11 respectively.<br /><br />But, the Congress leaders are not disclosing names of the MLAs kept in Mumbai. Satish K Sail, Mankal S Vaidya, Arvind C Patil, Ashok Kheny are among the MLAs who are said to be in Mumbai. A majority of these MLAs were not reachable over the phone.<br /><br /> Speculations were rife in the political circles that the ruling party has sent a group of non-Congress MLAs on a foreign junket, in an attempt to keep them safe from poaching. However, there was no confirmation from the party on this. <br /><br />The Independents and MLAs of smaller parties are in high demand as both the Congress and the JD(S) are falling short of about a dozen votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat. The Assembly has nine Independents and seven MLAs belonging to four smaller parties, including the BSR Congress and KJP. <br /><br />The ruling party needs the support of about 13 non-Congress MLAs to ensure the election of its third Rajya Sabha candidate, K C Ramamurthy. JD(S) candidate B M Farook, too, has to muster the support of over a dozen non-JD(S) MLAs to win the election. About 12 of these MLAs, including nine Independents, had initially pledged their support to Farook. But later they decided to back the Congress.<br /><br />Sources in the Congress said the party has decided not to take any risk as far as the support of Independents and MLAs of smaller parties is concerned in the wake of a sting operation on horse-trading. <br /><br />The MLAs were shown discussing sale of votes in the sting operation done by two national news channels. Hence, it was decided to shift these MLAs to Mumbai, the sources added.<br /><br />When contacted, Somashekar, who is also Congress MLA from Yeshwanthpura constituency, claimed he was very much in Bengaluru.A television channel found that the independent legislators, along with Somashekar, were staying at JW Marriott in Mumbai.<br /></div>
