In an attempt to prevent possible defection to the BJP, which has been given 15 days to prove majority in the floor of the house, the Congress and the JD(S) are reportedly planning to move their MLAs out of Karnataka.
According to sources, the lawmakers, who were lodged at Eagleton resort in Bengaluru, will be put up in Crowne Plaza hotel in Kochi. Media reports reveal that 100 rooms of the hotel have been booked and the MLAs are expected to arrive at the hotel later tonight.
After the BJP emerged as the single largest party on Tuesday, high drama unfolded with the Congress and the JD(S) forming an alliance to keep the BJP, which is short of a simple majority, out of power. However, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala invited B.S. Yeddyurappa to form the government. Although the Congress moved the Supreme Court against the governor's decision, the court refused to stay Yeddyurappa's swearing-in.
A day after the state delivered a fractured mandate, the Congress had claimed that the BJP was trying to poach JD(S) and Congress MLAs to gain sufficient strength to prove majority. "They (BJP) are poaching our MLAs, and we know that. Every day, there is a lot of pressure. But it not so easy, as two parties have the necessary numbers. However, we are taking all necessary steps," Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar had told ANI.
JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, too, had claimed that the saffron party was trying to lure the lawmakers by promising them huge amount of money and a cabinet post.