Congress is afraid of cross voting! Haryana-Odisha sent MLAs to ‘safe house’ before Rajya Sabha elections;

By Samira Vishwas On Mar 14, 2026

Congress Fear In Rajya Sabha Election: Before the Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha and Haryana, Congress has shifted its MLAs to other cities to keep them safe. MLAs from Odisha have been sent to Bengaluru and MLAs from Haryana have been sent to Shimla.

Congress has taken this decision so that the party remains united till the Rajya Sabha voting and cross voting can be stopped. It is being told that 9 out of 14 Congress MLAs from Odisha have reached Bengaluru, while only Ramchandra Kadam Only five MLAs were present.

Haryana MLA Shimla Shift

Amidst the fear of cross voting in the elections to be held on two Rajya Sabha seats of Haryana, Congress decided to send its MLAs to Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. According to media reports, the party says that this decision is being taken so that horse trading can be avoided. Some reports quoting sources are claiming that this decision was taken after the meeting of the Congress Legislature Party. After this meeting, all the MLAs reached the residence of former Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda and then sent him to Shimla from there. On March 16, all these MLAs will return to Chandigarh to vote.

Odisha MLAs seen at the airport

9 MLAs from Odisha have been sent to Bengaluru. Senior Congress leader Ramchandra Kadam said that the history of the Bharatiya Janata Party has been linked to horse-trading and defection of MLAs. He said that due to this apprehension, nine Congress MLAs have been sent to Bengaluru as a precautionary measure. From there he will go to Delhi and meet senior party leaders, so that no pressure or greed can influence the Rajya Sabha elections.

#WATCH | Karnataka: 6 Odisha Congress MLAs reached Bengaluru last night and are staying in a private resort near Bidadi, Ramnagar. More details awaited.
Visuals from Bengaluru airport. pic.twitter.com/MGxrY49l5z
— ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2026

Also read: Two seats, three candidates, BJP played the game in Haryana Rajya Sabha elections! Congress may get stuck

When will Rajya Sabha elections be held?

Voting for Rajya Sabha is to be held on 37 seats in 10 states on March 16. The last date for filing nominations was March 5. The scrutiny of nominations was to be held on 6 March. The last date for withdrawal of nominations was March 9. Amidst the preparations for the elections, Congress has strengthened its strategy by sending its MLAs to resorts. This step is being considered as a sign of protection from the fear of horse trading and election preparations.