Bengaluru, January 18: The Karnataka unit of the Congress has lodged 75 of its legislators to the Eagleton resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The decision was taken after four of their MLAs skipped the party's legislature meeting called earlier in the day by former chief minister Siddaramaiah.

The four legislators who did not turn up at Friday's meeting are: Ramesh Jarkiholi, B Nagendra, Umesh Jadhav and Mahesh Kumathahalli. The party has issued a show-cause notice to them. "We will see how they respond to their absenteeism and accordingly take the matter to the Congress president (Rahul Gandhi)," Siddaramaiah told reporters. 25 Karnataka BJP MLAs Shifted From ITC Grand Bharat Resort to Another Haryana Hotel.

Among the four missing MLAs, Nagendra sent a message to the party high command, stating that due to a court hearing in Mumbai, he was unable to attend. Jadhav, meanwhile, cited health issues to remain absent.

Jarkiholi and Kumathahalli are feared to have turned hostile, Congress insiders said, as the two leaders have not conveyed to the party their reason for being absent. The legislators are reportedly in Mumbai, where they have are accused of being in touch with top BJP leaders.

Siddaramaiah has blamed Leader of Opposition BS Yeddyurappa of attempting to "engineer defections" within the Congress legislature ranks.

The BJP, however, has levelled counter allegations against the Congress -- and has stocked at least 100 of its 104 MLAs at a plush resort in Gurgaon.

The government in Karnataka, formed after the fractured mandate thrown up by the state in legislative elections of May 2018, is ruled jointly by the JD(S), with 38 MLAs, and the Congress with 79 legislators. The two parties have 117 MLAs combined -- four more than the halfway majority mark. The BJP, with 104 MLAs, occupies the Opposition benches in the state assembly.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 18, 2019 08:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).