The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) flew about 40 MLAs to Indore by
a chartered Jet Airways flight last night, according to a senior NCP
leader who did not wish to be named. A senior police official said
that at least 25 MLAs were spotted at the Santa Cruz airport last
night.

The party leader said the MLAs have been moved out because they were
likely to be approached by the Opposition and asked to withdraw
support to the Democratic Front (DF) government. He added that the
MLAs have been moved to a Congress-ruled state to avoid interference
from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Yesterday evening, the NCP conducted a meeting of its MLAs at Ramtek,
the official residence of the Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal,
himself an NCP leader. The MLAs were told that they would have to
leave Mumbai at short notice. In a few hours, a Jet Airways flight
was chartered to move them out.

The police official at the airport said that one MLA was seen arguing
with NCP bigwigs because he wanted to stay to attend a relative's
wedding.

Head Constable Hariram at the Indore aerodrome confirmed that a Jet
Airways flight landed late last night and that its passengers had
boarded a bus belonging to the Hotel Planet President. Hariram
said, ``An urgent message was flashed from Mumbai and Superintendent
V S Thakur and other senior officials personally came to the airport
to escort the MLAs."

When Mid Day tried to contact the MLAs at the hotel, the receptionist
said the call could not be transferred.

The NCP leader said that the MLAs would be brought back to Mumbai in
time for the government to face its acid test on the floor of the
Assembly. The government has to prove its majority in the Legislature
in nine days' time. ``We may even shift the MLAs from Indore if the
BJP and the Shiv Sena tries to approach them there,'' the leader said.

On the other hand, the BJP-Sena combine, which has already managed to
get a few DF MLAs to defect, may be sending its own MLAs to Goa, a
BJP-ruled state.