32 UPA MLAs in Jharkhand flown to Chhattisgarh's Raipur, bussed to resort

As many 32 MLAs of the ruling UPA coalition in Jharkhand on Tuesday arrived in Raipur by a chartered flight in a bid to thwart the BJP's possible attempt to poach them and moved into a nearby resort.

The United Progressive Alliance of the JMM, Congress and RJD in Jharkhand has 49 MLAs in the 81-member Assembly.

The flight carrying the MLAs took off from the Ranchi airport shortly after 4.30 pm and arrived at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur, the capital of the Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh, around 5:30 pm.

A total of 41 persons, including 32 MLAs, landed here and three buses took them from the airport to the Mayfair resort in Nava Raipur, 10 km away, said a local Congress leader.

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Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren did not accompany them, he added.

Chhattisgarh Congress leaders Ramgopal Agrawal and Girish Dewangan also travelled to the resort with the Jharkhand MLAs. The buses were escorted by pilot vehicles. Security was tightened around the resort and media persons were not allowed inside.

News channels showed a convoy of vehicles of VIPs and police entering the resort ahead of the arrival of the Jharkhand MLAs.

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This is the third time in the last one-and-a-half years that MLAs of Congress and its allies have shifted to Raipur amid fears of poaching by the BJP. In June, fearing cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha election, the main opposition Congress in Haryana had shifted its MLAs to Raipur to protect them from alleged poaching bid.

Candidates of the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), a member of the Congress-led grand alliance during the last year's Assam Assembly polls, were brought to Raipur in April 2021 ahead of the counting of votes.

Jharkhand chief minister Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) believes that the BJP may make a serious attempt to poach MLAs from the party and also from the ally Congress in a bid to topple the government in a manner similar to Maharashtra and there is a need to ringfence the legislators in a safe haven.

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Following a petition by the BJP seeking Soren's disqualification from the Assembly in an office of profit case, the Election Commission sent its decision to state Governor Ramesh Bais on August 25.

Though the EC's decision has not yet been made official, there is a buzz that the poll panel has recommended the chief minister's disqualification as an MLA. In a joint statement on August 28, UPA constituents had accused the governor of encouraging political horse-trading by "deliberately delaying" announcing the decision.

A meeting of the Jharkhand cabinet is scheduled on September 1 at 4 pm. The JMM, the largest party, has 30 MLAs, the Congress 18 legislators, and the RJD one. The main opposition BJP has 26 MLAs in the House.