The Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh found itself in crisis after 17 of its MLAs, who are believed to be supporters of Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, were flown to Karnataka. Several legislators, including ministers from the state, arrived in Bengaluru on Monday amid reports of infighting in the party's state unit and allegations of poaching against the BJP.
The MLAs landed in the city earlier in the day by chartered flights and are staying across three locations in the city, a source said. The chartered flight left from Delhi at 8 am and reached Bengaluru around 10:40 am. This development also comes amid speculation that Jyotiraditya Scindia is planning to leave the Congress and join the BJP and take some of the MLAs with him.
Senior Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and at least 17 MLAs, believed to be supporting him, had suddenly become 'incommunicado' on Monday ahead of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Apart from the two close Scindia associates, the others included Rajyawardhan Singh, Pradhuman Singh Tomar, Giriraj, Raksha Sinoriya, Jaswant Jatav, Suresh Dhakad, Jajpal Singh and Brijendra Yadav.
The Kamal Nath faction of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh has been in a power tussle with a many MLAs supporting the young leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was once a close aide of the Gandhis. The Congress has alleged that the BJP is trying to poach its MLAs to topple the Kamal Nath-led government.
Earlier on March 4, amid allegations of poaching against BJP, around three to four legislators from Madhya Pradesh had landed in the city and were put up in a private place. One of them was said to be an independent MLA. The BJP in Madhya Pradesh has maintained that the party had nothing to do with the developments.
Kamal Nath has asserted there was no threat to his government, which came to power in December 2018 by ousting the BJP.
Last week, 10 MLAs had gone 'missing' but eight of them have returned to the state, the latest being Congress' Bisahu Lal Singh, who met Kamal Nath in Bhopal on Sunday, after returning from Bengaluru.
Two MLAs, Raghuraj Singh Kansana and Hardeep Singh Dang, have still not been traced. Dang had sent his resignation to the Speaker and Kamal Nath.
Meanwhile, three rebel BJP MLAs met Chief Minister Kamal Nath late on Thursday as two of them have openly revolted but the third one, Sanjay Tripathi, has said he is not leaving the BJP.