On a day of hectic activity, over the office of profit issue, Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda today arrived in Jaipur with 40 MLAs to keep his flock together before the Election Commission decision on disqualification petitions against several NDA legislators. On the other hand, most of the Opposition UPA MLAs from the state reached New Delhi to petition President A P J Abdul Kalam seeking disqualification of 13 NDA MLAs on the ground of holding offices of profit, a move which they claim could push the Munda government to the brink.

The Jharkhand Chief Minister, however, denied that he was in Jaipur to ensure that his herd stays together in the midst of the crisis. ‘‘We have come here to perform ziyarat at the Ajmer dargah, a promise we had made before our government was formed,’’ Munda said.

He said he had made this promise during his last visit to Jaipur. The NDA camp had come to Jaipur last year in March after the short-lived Shibu Soren ministry was sworn in by the Jharkhand Governor to ward off any poaching attempts by the Congress. The MLAs, who have been put up in a five-star hotel, will visit Ajmer and Pushkar on Tuesday before flying back to Ranchi. They are also scheduled to watch a fashion show in the evening, as part of the ongoing Rajasthan Day celebrations.

The Vasundhara Raje government has asked senior Cabinet minister Digambar Singh and CM-loyalist S N Gupta to host the legislators.

Their arrival created a furore in the Assembly when the Congress MLAs fired a barrage of questions seeking details on the expenses on the guests.

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