Fresh Cong-BJP Row Over RS Poll Bribery Allegations Four men were arrested in Bengaluru on Sunday for allegedly attempting to bribe eight Congress legislators from Odisha with Rs 5 crore each to vote in favor of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls, scheduled for Monday. The arrests followed allegations made by Karnataka Congress president and deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who claimed the men tried to influence Odisha MLAs during a meeting at a hotel. Shivakumar told reporters, "Four men tried to influence our Odisha MLAs in a hotel by offering them Rs 5 crore each to cross-vote. Following an FIR, all four have been arrested." The BJP dismissed the claims, with spokesperson Anil Biswal stating, "Since Congress is staring at imminent defeat, they're making false claims." Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das, however, alleged that the arrested men were linked to the BJP. Eight of the 14 Congress legislators from Odisha were moved to a Bengaluru resort on Thursday to prevent them from being poached by rival parties. The Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha are shaping up as a high-stakes contest. Five candidates are vying for four seats, with the BJP fielding state president Manmohan Samal and re-nominated MP Sujeet Kumar, while supporting independent candidate Dilip Ray for the third seat. The BJD has nominated Santrupt Misra, and the party is backing independent candidate Datteswar Hota, who is also supported by Congress and the CPM. With strong numbers in their favor, Samal and Kumar are expected to secure their seats, as is Misra of the BJD. The real competition, however, is for the fourth seat, where Hota and Ray are locked in a tight race, with fears of cross-voting and allegations of horse-trading complicating the outcome.#dk_shivakumar #anil_biswal #bhakta_charan_das #manmohan_samal #sujeet_kumar
