Bhubaneswar, June 15: In a bid to keep its flock together ahead of Rajya Sabha polls on Thursday, the ruling BJD has lodged its MLAs at a posh hotel in Puri, about 60 km from the state capital.
Though the ruling party issued whip to its MLAs fearing poaching by the opposition camp, the BJD leadership felt it safe to keep all the voters under one roof till voting was conducted.
“Yes, some BJD MLAs have come to Puri to stay at a hotel,” said BJD MLA Sanjay Dasburma admitting that the ruling party lawmakers had been camping there since two days.
While the party leadership kept the MLAs under strict surveillance, former minister and sitting MLA Padmanav Behera claimed that the law makers had been staying at a hotel in Puri to celebrate Raja festival.
–Agencies