<p>Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar claimed on Sunday that ‘Operation Lotus’ was underway ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls in Odisha, saying that four persons from the eastern state had unsuccessfully offered Rs 5 crore per head for cross-voting to the Odisha MLAs of Congress staying at a resort in Bidadi.</p>.<p>Speaking to reporters, he said: “Four persons, who came from Odisha, booked a room through a native Byatarayanapura resident named Suresh. Later, when they tried to lure our MLAs, our MLAs informed us about it. Of course, a police complaint has already been lodged. Of those four, two have been arrested, while two others have escaped. Those two have accepted that this was the motive. They had come with empty cheques, and through this, ‘Operation Lotus’ was being conducted.”</p>.<p>Shivakumar, who is also the KPCC president, said the police had confiscated the cheques and would conduct a mahazar.</p>.Two held for trying to 'bribe' Odisha Congress MLAs ahead of Rajya Sabha polls: Party sources.<p>The alleged attempt to bribe legislators comes against the backdrop of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha, where the BJD-Congress consensus candidate Dr Datteshwar Hota requires 30 votes from MLAs to become an MP. </p>.<p>As a precautionary measure, eight Congress MLAs are being housed in a resort in Bidadi. According to Shivakumar’s office, the Odisha MLAs are Rajan Ekka, Ashok Das, Kadraka Appala Swamy, Mangu Killo, Pavitra Sauntha, Nilamadhav Hikka, Prafulla Pradhan and Sathyajit Gomongo.</p>.<p>When asked about these MLAs meeting AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, the deputy CM said: “Instead of meeting our president, will our party MLAs meet BJP president? As per their wish, the MLAs have met the AICC president and obtained his blessings. They have taken a photo with him and will leave for Odisha on Monday.”</p>.<p>As per a complaint by Orissa Congress Legislature Party’s deputy leader Ashok Kumar Das, a case has been lodged against Birendra Prasad, Ajith Kumar Sahu, Simachal Mokud and Bytarayanapura’s Suresh of Karnataka.</p>.<p>"Under Suresh’s name, the accused booked rooms 401 and 402 in the resort’s fourth floor and came in at night. The Odisha MLAs were all in the fifth floor,” said G N Nataraj Ganakal, president of the GBDA, who is taking care of the Odisha MLAs.</p>.<p>"MLA Mangu (Killo) told us that the suspects had met him, showed a blank cheque and offered bribes. When we searched for them, they weren’t there. Later, when we saw the CCTV footage of the resort, we got to know that four strangers had met the MLAs,” he said.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar claimed on Sunday that ‘Operation Lotus’ was underway ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls in Odisha, saying that four persons from the eastern state had unsuccessfully offered Rs 5 crore per head for cross-voting to the Odisha MLAs of Congress staying at a resort in Bidadi.</p>.<p>Speaking to reporters, he said: “Four persons, who came from Odisha, booked a room through a native Byatarayanapura resident named Suresh. Later, when they tried to lure our MLAs, our MLAs informed us about it. Of course, a police complaint has already been lodged. Of those four, two have been arrested, while two others have escaped. Those two have accepted that this was the motive. They had come with empty cheques, and through this, ‘Operation Lotus’ was being conducted.”</p>.<p>Shivakumar, who is also the KPCC president, said the police had confiscated the cheques and would conduct a mahazar.</p>.Two held for trying to 'bribe' Odisha Congress MLAs ahead of Rajya Sabha polls: Party sources.<p>The alleged attempt to bribe legislators comes against the backdrop of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha, where the BJD-Congress consensus candidate Dr Datteshwar Hota requires 30 votes from MLAs to become an MP. </p>.<p>As a precautionary measure, eight Congress MLAs are being housed in a resort in Bidadi. According to Shivakumar’s office, the Odisha MLAs are Rajan Ekka, Ashok Das, Kadraka Appala Swamy, Mangu Killo, Pavitra Sauntha, Nilamadhav Hikka, Prafulla Pradhan and Sathyajit Gomongo.</p>.<p>When asked about these MLAs meeting AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, the deputy CM said: “Instead of meeting our president, will our party MLAs meet BJP president? As per their wish, the MLAs have met the AICC president and obtained his blessings. They have taken a photo with him and will leave for Odisha on Monday.”</p>.<p>As per a complaint by Orissa Congress Legislature Party’s deputy leader Ashok Kumar Das, a case has been lodged against Birendra Prasad, Ajith Kumar Sahu, Simachal Mokud and Bytarayanapura’s Suresh of Karnataka.</p>.<p>"Under Suresh’s name, the accused booked rooms 401 and 402 in the resort’s fourth floor and came in at night. The Odisha MLAs were all in the fifth floor,” said G N Nataraj Ganakal, president of the GBDA, who is taking care of the Odisha MLAs.</p>.<p>"MLA Mangu (Killo) told us that the suspects had met him, showed a blank cheque and offered bribes. When we searched for them, they weren’t there. Later, when we saw the CCTV footage of the resort, we got to know that four strangers had met the MLAs,” he said.</p>
