On several previous occasions, Congress kept its MLAs, including those from Rajasthan and Maharashtra, in five-star hotels and resorts during the tenure of the present Gehlot government.
The results for elections in five states are to be declared on March 10. In Rajasthan’s political corridors, the buzz is that if the Congress happens to be in a position to form government in one or more states, including Punjab and Goa, its MLAs can find themselves holed up in Jaipur’s five-star hotels and luxurious resorts to prevent poaching.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, a veteran Congressman, considered a close confidante of the Gandhi family, has discussed the issue with senior party leaders, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, party general secretary KC Venugopal and the Gandhi siblings, Rahul and Priyanka.
Gehlot was in Delhi recently, and as per sources, the possibility of Congress MLAs being made to stay at Jaipur’s five-star hotels and luxurious resorts to keep them away from prying eyes was discussed in case the party emerges victorious in some of the states.
The Congress hopes to do well in at least three of the five states: Punjab, Uttarakhand Goa and Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress was panned when several of its MLAs had defected in Goa after the 2017 Assembly election. Despite emerging as the largest party after the election, the Congress could not form government.
The Congress had lost power in Madhya Pradesh after several of its MLAs, including party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, defected to the BJP. Senior leaders within the Congress believe that Ashok Gehlot is best suited to ensure that party MLAs are kept in secured environs of 5-star hotels and luxurious resorts with a 24-hour vigil to save them from poaching.
On several previous occasions, the Congress kept its MLAs, including those from Rajasthan and Maharashtra, in five-star hotels and resorts during the tenure of the present Gehlot government.
In 2019, the Congress had, to keep its Maharashtra MLAs away from the prying eyes of other parties, kept them at Buena Vista Resorts near the JaipurDelhi Highway.
“It’s like being told, ‘Go to sleep, else Gabbar will come. If their MLAs are being made to fear us, what can we do about it?”, Rajasthan BJP chief Dr. Satish Poonia said.
