Forty-four Congress MLAs from Gujarat, who were flown to Karnataka to prevent "poaching" by the BJP ahead of Tuesday's Rajya Sabha elections, returned to the state on Monday, officials said.
The MLAs were moved to a private resort near Bengaluru on July 29 following the resignation of six Congress legislators.
Of the 57 party legislators in the 182-member Gujarat assembly, the six quit the party on July 26 and three of them joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on July 28. Of the BJP's remaining 51 MLAs, seven did not join those who came to Bengaluru.
The 44 MLAs are being lodged at the Nijanand Resort near Anand. Their family members will visit the resort for the Raksha Bandhan festival on Monday.
On Tuesday, the legislators will directly go to state capital Gandhinagar to vote for the party's Rajya Sabha nominee Ahmed Patel.
Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, is seeking a fifth consecutive term.
Karnataka Minister D.K. Shivakumar was at the airport when the Congress legislatorstook a budget carrier after a week-long stay at a private resort near here.
"As all of us are united. The BJP cannot threaten any of our MLAs. Horse trading is not possible with those who are with us," party's lawmaker Shaktisinh Gohil told reporters outside the airport before leaving for Ahmedabad.
During the legislators' stay in the Eagleton Golf Resort at Bidadi, about 40 km from Bengaluru, the Income Tax Department raided a deluxe suite where Shivakumar was staying as their host, in connection with the alleged tax evasion and amassing of wealth or assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The officials did not raid the Gujarat MLAs but whisked away Shivakumar to his bungalow in the city for questioning him following the seizure of documents, cash, jewellery and property records made in his house.
Searches and seizures were also conducted at the Energy Minister's house at Kanakapura and his rented apartment in New Delhi, at the residences of his brother D.K. Suresh at Ramanagara in the adjacent Bengaluru Rural district, and his relatives and friends at Mysuru and Hassan in the state till August 6.
Braving the scorching heat, Tripura East records over 80 pc turnout
Despite the scorching heat, over 80 per cent of the 14 lakh voters cast their votes in the Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency where polling was held under a heavy security cover on Friday.
NCPCR initiates action against Mehbooba Mufti for 'using school children for election campaign'
In a significant development, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Friday took cognisance of a report on 'X' accusing PDP President and Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat candidate Mehbooba Mufti of using school children for campaigning in the election.
PM Modi takes opposition to cleaners on EVMs, once again
Calling it a "historic day", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lauded the Supreme Court's decision to dismiss a batch of petitions seeking mandatory cross-verification of the votes cast in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips.
LS Poll: Over 1000 villagers did not cast vote; shows protest against bad road condition, improper drinking water facility
Over 1000 villagers of Maldapara of Gandacherra subdivision in Dhalai Tripura district on Friday boycotted the second phase of polling to East Tripura constituency and refrained from casting their vote as part of their agitation against bad condition of road in their village.
PM Modi roasts Cong, says former PM's video on 'priority for Muslims' demolishes its canards
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stepped up his offensive on the Congress and said that his plainspeak on the party’s double standards has ruffled many feathers in the INDIA bloc, so much so, that they have launched a tirade at him for speaking the truth.
CBI recovers huge cache of arms, explosives from house of Shahjahan’s relative at Sandeshkhali
The CBI on Friday afternoon conducted a raid at the residence of a relative of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas District and seized a huge cache of firearms and explosives.
Tripura records 54.47% turnout recorded till 1 PM in 2nd phase polling to East
The second phase of polling for the East Tripura Parliamentary constituency is underway amid tight security coverage, while 54.47% voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm on Friday. Voting commenced at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm. Tripura recorded the highest turnout at 36.42 per cent till 11 am.
DMs, SPs of violence-hit MP districts transferred
The farmers agitation entered its eighth day on Thursday. The peasants have been on strike since June 1, demanding loan waiver and fair price for their produce.