The arrests followed a complaint from Congress leaders, who alleged that the accused approached party legislators staying at a resort near Bengaluru in an attempt to influence their votes. The development comes amid heightened political tension ahead of the contest for the fourth Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D.K. Shivakumar said the individuals tried to contact Congress MLAs and persuade them to vote against the party line.
“Four men attempted to influence our Odisha MLAs in a hotel by offering them ₹5 crore each to cross-vote. After a complaint was filed, all four were arrested,” Shivakumar told reporters.
He alleged the move was part of what the Congress calls “Operation Lotus,” a term the party uses to describe alleged attempts by the BJP to lure legislators from rival parties.
According to Shivakumar, one of the accused had established contact with an MLA online and arranged a meeting at the resort where the legislators were staying. The MLA informed party leaders about the offer, prompting the filing of a police complaint.
Authorities are now investigating the alleged attempt to bribe the legislators, while efforts are underway to identify any additional individuals involved.
Odisha MLAs moved to Bengaluru amid poaching fears
Eight of the 14 Congress MLAs from Odisha were moved to a resort near Bengaluru earlier this week after party leaders expressed concerns about possible attempts to influence lawmakers ahead of the Rajya Sabha vote.In a complaint filed with police, Ashok Kumar Das, deputy leader of the Congress Legislative Party in Odisha, said the MLAs had been brought to Bengaluru on March 12 as a precautionary measure.
Das alleged that four men approached some legislators and offered large sums of money to secure cross-voting in favour of a candidate in the Rajya Sabha election.
“When our MLAs rejected the offer, the individuals allegedly threatened them and used abusive language,” he said in the complaint, urging police to take action.
Police have identified the accused as Birendra Prasad, Suresh, Ajit Kumar Sahu and Simachal Mohakud.
Congress leaders also claimed that one of the individuals involved had previously contested the Lok Sabha elections, though the allegation has not been independently verified.
Tight contest for fourth Rajya Sabha seat
The controversy has erupted as five candidates compete for four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha, raising the possibility of cross-voting.
The BJP has fielded state president Manmohan Samal and re-nominated outgoing Rajya Sabha member Sujeet Kumar, while also backing Independent candidate Dilip Ray.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has nominated Santrupt Misra, while supporting Independent candidate Datteswar Hota, who is also backed by Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Given the current numbers in the state assembly, Samal, Kumar and Misra are widely expected to secure seats. The real contest is for the fourth seat, where Ray and Hota are locked in a close battle.
The BJP has rejected the Congress allegations, calling them politically motivated. Party spokesperson Anil Biswal said the ruling party was confident of victory and accused the Congress of making “false claims” ahead of the vote.
With the election scheduled for Monday, authorities are expected to continue their investigation into the alleged bribery attempt even as political tensions remain high.(With TOI and agency inputs)
