RS poll race heats up from Bhopal to Bengluru

Bhopal, March 18 (IANS) The preliminary round of the Rajya Sabha election on March 26 seemed be fought on the streets of Bhopal and Bengaluru on Wednesday with Congress candidate Digvijaya Singh and nine Cabinet ministers from the state being rounded up by police in the Karnataka capital.

For all the optics, Digvijaya and Co could draw no success from their visit to Bengaluru to meet Madhya Pradesh’s rebel Congress MLAs.

Beleaguered Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath whose government is gasping for breath, dropped his visit to Bengaluru while his party activists fought a pitched battle with BJP counterparts at Bhopal.

Pushing and shoving between the two sides ensued when Congress supporters were on their way to ‘gherao’ the state BJP office to protest the BJP’s alleged move to hold captive rebel Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh in a Bengaluru resort.

Police had put up barricades to hold back Congress protesters, but they broke through and began marching towards the BJP office while holding banners and party flags. The marchers came face to face with BJP supporters on the way, leading to an ugly confrontation.

“The Congress supporters hit me with a baton. The BJP will teach Congress a lesson,” said BJP leader Rahul Kothari.

In a related action Madhya Pradesh unit of BJP complained to the Chief Election Commissioner against former Digvijaya Singh for trying to cause undue pressure on the 16 rebel Congress MLAs.

Singh who had gone along with nine members of the state Cabinet to meet the 16 rebel MLAs holed up in a Bengaluru resort. The BJP that has been ‘guarding’ these MLAs claims that Singh is unduly pressurising them to meet the MLAs who do not want to meet him and his party colleagues. The BJP complained that the Congress leaders staged a dharna to create a law and order situation for the local administration.

The BJP’s letter signed by Shantilal Lodha, the election agent of the BJP candidate Sumer Singh Solanki, says since Singh is a candidate for the election his conduct amounts to violation of the model code of conduct. The letter urged the EC to take action against Singh and nine others so that the elections are conducted peacefully in democratic manner.

Besides, election authorities in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, the letter copies have been marked to Karnataka Chief Minister and police chief “for necessary action please”.

The others named for action include Jaywardhan Singh (minister and Digvijaya Singh’s son), Sajjan Singh Verma, Jitu Patwari, Umang Singhar, Tarun Bhanot, Lakhan Ghanghoria, Lakhan Singh Yadav, Sachin Yadav and Harsh Yadav.

In another setback to the Congress, Karnataka High Court rejected Digvijaya Singh’s plea seeking directions to the police to allow him to meet the “detained” rebel MLAs.

The Congress, on the other hand, wrote to Governor Lalji Tandon to use his constitutional authority to get the ‘captive’ MLAs released. The party said the Chief Minister has already made the request to him earlier in this regard.

Digvijaya Singh as a candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat is entitled to meet the MLAs, said the letter. But the police have not allowed him to use his right.

–IANS

naidu/kr