Rs 5 Crore Each to Cross Vote? DK Shivakumar Claims Bribe Attempt on Odisha Congress MLAs

New Delhi: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar has alleged that Congress MLAs from Odisha were lured with huge sums of money for cross-voting. He claims that some people had offered Rs 5 crore to each MLA to change the voting trend in the Rajya Sabha elections to be held on March 16. Police have also arrested two people in this case and further investigation is going on.

Was there an attempt to change the votes of MLAs?

According to DK Shivakumar, Congress MLAs from Odisha were accommodated in a resort to avoid any kind of political turmoil before the elections. Meanwhile, four people reached there and allegedly tried to contact the MLAs. Shivkumar says that a local person helped these people and an MLA was contacted through online medium.

He claimed that in the morning these people met a Congress MLA and proposed to give him Rs 5 crore in exchange for cross voting. However, the concerned MLA reportedly immediately rejected the proposal and informed the party leadership about it.

Has any arrest been made in this case?

The deputy chief minister of Karnataka said that after getting information about the matter, the process of giving complaint to the police has been started. He said that those who were caught have admitted that they had reached there with this very purpose. The police have detained two people and started questioning them and are trying to find out who else could be involved in this alleged conspiracy.

Why was the allegation of ‘Operation Lotus’ made?

DK Shivakumar linked this entire incident to BJP's alleged strategy “Operation Lotus” and alleged that such efforts are made to weaken the governments or candidates of opposition parties. The Congress has long used the term “Operation Lotus” to describe allegations that the balance of power is changed by ousting MLAs from opposition parties.

Why increased concern regarding Rajya Sabha elections?

According to sources, political equations already remain sensitive regarding the Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha. Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded an additional candidate here, which has increased the fear of cross-voting and horse-trading of MLAs among other parties.

For this reason, Congress has adopted the strategy of keeping its MLAs together, so that any kind of political stir can be prevented before the elections.

Will the MLAs be taken to Bhubaneswar before voting?

According to sources, Congress MLAs may leave for Bhubaneswar on Sunday night, where they will take part in the voting to be held on Monday morning. In this election, both Congress and Biju Janata Dal have fielded their candidates, while the contest has become more interesting due to the field of additional candidates from Bharatiya Janata Party.

Overall, this alleged bribery scandal that came to light before the Rajya Sabha elections has become a new issue of political debate. Now it remains to be seen what facts emerge in the investigation and whether this matter affects the electoral equations or not.