But first came an invitation to have dinner in the suburbs with a senior official from their party in the Indian state of Maharashtra. They would share a car ride, and Mr. Deshmukh could catch the train from there. That, Mr. Deshmukh said, is when he realized he was being kidnapped. Mr. Deshmukh had become a pawn in what is known as “resort politics,” a longstanding practice unique to India’s rough-and-tumble democracy. To ensure that they would stick to the plan, the lawmakers were moved to other states and isolated in luxury resorts.

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Persons: Nitin Deshmukh, Deshmukh, Mr, ” Locations: Mumbai, Indian, Maharashtra