‘BJP's Op Lotus’: 2 held in Cong-ruled Karnataka for ‘trying to bribe’ Odisha MLAs in resort on Rajya Sabha poll eve

WIth the hitch of 2 men who were allegedly trying to corrupt Odisha u.s. Congress MLAs at a holiday resort near Bengaluru, the party has accused the BJP of attempting "Operation Lotus" — a political term referencing the BJP poll symbol — on the eve of the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections for four seats in the eastern state.Karnataka deputy chief minister and senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar made the allegation on Sunday, saying the Centre's ruling party was offering ₹5 crore each to the Odisha MLAs, who were flown to the Congress-ruled southern state ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.Eight MLAs, along with some other Odisha Congress unit office-bearers, are camping in the resort — a tactic often deployed to avoid allurement for cross-voting.Shivakumar, also the Congress' Karnataka unit chief, said two of four persons involved were apprehended at the resort. "In the morning they picked up our MLA. Our MLA told us that they offered ₹5 crore for each vote. He said he is not for horse-trading," Shivakumar told reporters."This is the great ‘Operation Lotus’ carried out by BJP friends in Karnataka," the deputy CM said. According to a Congress source cited by news agency PTI, “They tried to negotiate with the Congress MLA by offering a blank cheque.”In the formal complaint to the Bidadi police station, Ashok Kumar Das, deputy leader of the Congress Legislative Party in Odisha, said four persons approached some of the MLAs and offered them money to cross-vote in favour of a candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls."For the safety and security of our legislators, eight of our MLAs have come to Bengaluru and have been staying here since March 12," Das said in the complaint. Das identified the persons involved as Birendra Prasad, Suresh, Ajit Kumar Sahu and Simachal Mohakud.What BJP saidThe Odisha BJP, however, rejected the allegations. "They are making such baseless claims after realising their certain defeat in the Rajya Sabha polls tomorrow. The Congress has a habit of cross-voting," Odisha BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal told reporters.The BJP has also taken some of its MLAs for Paradip, though wthin Odisha, ahead of the polls. On that, party MLA Ashwini Sarangi said, “We came here to see where and how to vote. We came to practice so that no one makes any mistakes, as it is our first time in the assembly.” He dismissed speculation about cross-voting.Meanwhile, Naveen Patnaik, chief of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), also held a meeting with party leaders in Bhubaneswar to discuss preparations for the elections and raised concerns over alleged attempts at horse-trading.Polling for the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha will be held on March 16 across 10 states to fill 37 seats, with the counting of votes scheduled for the same day at 5 pm.What's at stake in Odisha Rajya Sabha electionsFour Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha fall vacant on April 2, and elections are being held to fill those.In the 147-member Odisha assembly, the ruling BJP has 79 MLAs and the support of three Independents, totalling 82.The BJD has 50 MLAs, though two are currently under suspension, leaving 48 effective votes.The Congress has 14 MLAs, and the CPI(M) has one.Under the Rajya Sabha voting formula, a candidate requires at least 30 first-preference votes to secure election.The BJP has fielded two official candidates — state unit president Manmohan Samal and former BJD leader Sujeet Kumar — and is also backing former Union minister Dilip Ray, who is contesting as an Independent. This fielding of a third candidate is birthing theories as the BJP does not have clear-cut numbers to win more than two seats.The BJD has nominated Dr Santrupt Mishra as its official candidate and has fielded Dr Datteswar Hota as a “common candidate”, with the Congress extending its support to his candidature.On current numbers, the outcomes for three of the four seats are largely settled. Two seats are expected to go to the BJP and one to the BJD.The real contest, thus, is for the fourth seat, between BJP-backed Independent Dilip Ray and BJD's Dr Hota supported by the Congress.The contest has historic echoes, with the same player at its centre. In 2002, in a strikingly similar set-up — five candidates for four seats — Dilip Ray had won as an Independent against then-CM BJD, securing victory through cross-voting from 14 BJD MLAs. Ray has vowed to replicate that feat 24 years later.This is also the first time in 24 years that the BJD and Congress have aligned against the BJP in Odisha, prompting speculation about a longer-term shift in the state's political alignments. When asked about a potential BJD-Congress tie-up, Naveen Patnaik has said: “Time will tell.”