Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia.

After Congress, the BJP has now shifted several Rajasthan MLAs, in a move seen as an attempt to stop any poaching bid and amid growing factionalism within the state unit. The party claimed its legislators were being harassed by the state government.

Since Friday, the party has shifted 19 MLAs to Gujarat.

BJP state president Satish Poonia said the MLAs have gone on an excursion after the Congress government started spreading rumours about them.

Poonia said on Saturday: “How can I leave MLAs to be tormented by the Congress? I had knowledge that some (people) in the government started spreading rumours about our MLAs through social media and individual messages by taking their names. So they have left.” He said the legislators will return when BJP calls a legislative party meet.

On Friday, the party is learnt to have shifted 13 MLAs, mainly from Udaipur division. Sources said these include five MLAs from Udaipur district; two each from Sirohi and Banswara districts; and one each from Jalore, Pratapgarh, Chittorgarh and Dungarpur.

On Saturday, the party sent six more MLAs to Porbandar, Gujarat, in a chartered flight under the watch of Phulera (Jaipur) MLA Nirmal Kumawat: Gopichand Meena, Jabbar Singh Sankhla, Dharmendra Kumar, Gopal Lal Sharma, and Gurdeep Singh.

At Porbandar airport, Kumawat said they were in Gujarat “for Somnath-baba’s darshan to get rid of mental torment” by the state government. “A few more MLAs will come because the government is constantly pressuring us to vote for Congress,” he said.

The BJP has 72 MLAs in the 200-member House.