India, March 15 -- With the arrest of two men who were allegedly trying to bribe Odisha Congress MLAs at a resort near Bengaluru, the party has accused the BJP of attempting "Operation Lotus" - a political term referencing the BJP poll symbol - on the eve of the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections for four seats in the eastern state.

Karnataka deputy chief minister and senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar made the allegation on Sunday, saying the Centre's ruling party was offering Rs.5 crore each to the Odisha MLAs, who were flown to the Congress-ruled southern state ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.

Eight MLAs, along with some other Odisha Congress unit office-bearers, are camping in the resort - a tactic often deployed to avoid alluremen...