The Bhopal police on Thursday registered a ‘missing person’ complaint over Congress MLA Bisahulal Singh, who was among the four legislators suspected to have been taken to Bengaluru by the BJP on Wednesday morning and has been incommunicado.
The complaint was filed by Mr. Singh’s son, said Sai Krishna S. Thota, Bhopal South Superintendent of Police.
In the complaint, the son had mentioned that the legislator from Anuppur had been missing since March 2, and his mobile phone was switched off, said Sanjeev Kumar Chauksery, TT Nagar Police Station incharge. “Mr. Singh didn’t tell the family where he was going,” he added.
The police were yet to trace the four-time legislator and former Minister, believed to be ferried along with two Congress and an independent MLA by the BJP from a hotel in Manesar to Bengaluru. On Wednesday morning, the Madhya Pradesh Congress “rescued” six MLA from the hotel, purportedly thwarting the BJP’s bid to buy over its MLAs to destabilise the Kamal Nath government.
Congress MP and former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, while maintaining the government was stable, had said that Bisahulal Singh had told him that he was being taken by the BJP against his wish. “Still, he told me he was with us.”
Mr. Singh had earlier said the BJP was luring its MLAs with ₹25-35 crore to cross over, in a bid to topple the Congress regime.
Although the Congress had reassured voters that its leaders were in touch with the four estranged MLAs and the situation was under control, MLA from Suwasra Hardeep Singh Dang on Thursday night tendered his resignation as a legislator, yet to be received by the Speaker, claiming the Cabinet Minister ignored his region’s development and his appeals to the Chief Minister went unheeded.
Besides the two MLAs, Surendra Singh Shera, an independent legislator from Burhanpur, and Raghuraj Singh Kansana, a Congress MLA from Morena, are still believed to be in Bengaluru.
With the Assembly strength at 228 (two seats vacant after the deaths of MLAs), the majority mark stands at 115. While the Congress holds 114 seats, and enjoys the support of four independent, two BSP and an SP MLA, the BJP holds 107 seats.