Congress, JD(S) MLAs may return tonight

Newly elected MLAs from the Congress and the JD(S) who are presently camping in Hyderabad in three different places will be returning by Friday night or Saturday morning on a flight.

“Rs 100 crore or Rs 200 crore, our MLAs are with us. None of our members are going away. Today evening or tomorrow early morning, we are all leaving for Bengaluru,” the JD(S)'s G T Devegowda told agencies.

Gowda said all the elected MLAs from the Congress and the JD(S) are in Hyderabad.

On Friday morning, three buses carrying the legislators reached Hyderabad. Telangana PCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy ensured that the Congress MLAs were accommodated in Taj Krishna hotel and JD(S) MLAs in Novotel hotel while a few stayed in Pragathi resorts.

However, six different buses were used to mislead the poachers. “We have used six buses while MLAs were occupying only three, remaining are decoys,” a senior Telangana Congress leader said.

Refuting reports that a few Congress MLAs were missing during transit, former Energy Minister D K Shivakumar told reporters that though the DGCA did not allow them to take a chartered flight to move party MLAs to a safer place on Thursday, the party has succeeded in keeping the flock together.

“We are all united and are ready to face the music. The two MLAs you are talking about are in touch with us. One is sick and couldn’t travel,” he said when asked about the number of party MLAs staying at Taj Krishna.