“No Resort Politics, No Poaching”: Congress’ DK Shivakumar After Exit Polls

Bengaluru: 

No Congress leader can be “poached”, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar told NDTV Friday, a day after exit polls gave the party a surprise win over the BRS in the Telangana Assembly election and an outside shot at defeating the BJP in the Madhya Pradesh polls.

The tight race expected in Madhya Pradesh – three of six exit polls have given the Congress a slight edge – has triggered talk of “resort politics”, which is when political parties stash MLAs at luxury resorts or hotels, and mount a 24×7 guard, to prevent them from joining rival outfits.

Reports suggest the party will send its Madhya Pradesh election winners – assuming there are enough to challenge the BJP in a state it has dominated for close to two decades – to Karnataka.