Two Arrested for Alleged Attempt to Bribe Odisha Congress MLAs Ahead of Rajya Sabha Polls

Ahead of the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha, eight Congress MLAs were relocated to a Bengaluru resort amid fears of poaching. Two men from Odisha were arrested for allegedly attempting to bribe these MLAs with Rs 5 crore each and offering blank cheques to induce cross-voting in favor of the BJP. Congress leaders, including Karnataka Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, accused the BJP of orchestrating this attempt, termed 'Operation Lotus.' The accused were handed over to Bidadi police, and investigations are ongoing, while two others reportedly escaped.