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.

In the national capital, the Opposition MLAs have sought an appointment with Kalam and are also likely to meet Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon in a day or two after he returns from his tour of poll-bound Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu.

The UPA MLAs’ plan to meet Kalam and the CEC came after they had urged Governor Syed Sibte Razi not to approve the controversial Bill passed by the Jharkhand Assembly to protect a number of NDA MLAs from possible disqualification.

With the office of profit controversy snowballing, the Governor has already written to the CEC seeking to know the status of some NDA MLAs accused of holding offices of profit.

In the 82-member Jharkhand Assembly, a minor tilt in the number can bring the government to the brink. While the NDA has 43 MLAs, including a nominated one, UPA has 39.