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Gujarat MLAs set to fly back today in time for Rajya Sabha poll

Cong had shifted its MLAs from Gujarat to party-ruled Karnataka, and kept at a resort to secure them from threats.

New Delhi: The 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs who have been camping at a resort near Bengaluru for the past few days are all set to return to Ahmedabad on Monday, a day before the all-important Rajya Sabha election in the state on Tuesday.

Fearing defections and threats, the Congress had shifted its MLAs from Gujarat to party-ruled Karnataka, and kept at a resort to secure them from “threats”. The party had claimed the ruling BJP in Gujarat was threatening the Congress MLAs with the help of the administrative machinery and forcing them to join the BJP.

Congress MLA and spokesman Shaktisinh Gohil said, “All the MLAs who are in Karnataka will be flying to Ahmedabad soon. The BJP is spreading all kinds of canards, but all of us are together.” Earlier, the 44 MLAs had also met Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala, who hails from Gujarat and has been a minister in that state and an MLA from Rajkot.

Once they are back in Ahmedabad, they will be kept in a “secure location” in order to “ward off threats”. Insiders said they would celebrate Raksha Bandhan with their families at the safe location.

Mr Gohil also denied reports in a section of the media that the MLAs would first be flown to New Delhi to meet party chief Sonia Gandhi, and told reporters that they would be returning to Gujarat “directly”.

Over the past month, eight of the Congress” 57 MLAs had deserted the party, out of which three have already joined the BJP and three others are in touch with the saffron party.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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