News Analysis India

Tag: Presidential Elections 2022

  • Who will be India’s 15th President? Country to know on Thursday as counting begins at 11 am

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India on Thursday will know who will succeed incumbent Ram Nath Kovind to become the country’s 15th President, as counting of votes for the presidential election begins at 11 am at the Parliament House here.

    Ruling NDA’s Droupadi Murmu and Opposition’s Yashwant Sinha are pitted against each other in the contest, with votes clearly stacked in favour of Murmu, who, if elected, will be the first tribal woman to occupy the top constitutional post in the country.

    Kovind’s tenure is ending on July 24 and the new president will take oath on July 25.

    With ballot boxes from all states had reached the Parliament House, poll officials are ready for the counting in room number 63, the strongroom of Parliament where the boxes are guarded behind round-the-clock security.

    Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody, who is the Chief Returning Officer for the poll, will oversee the counting Thursday, the result of which is likely to be declared by the evening.

    Mody will first brief on the poll trends after all votes of MPs have been counted, and then again after votes of 10 states in alphabetical order have been counted.

    Sources said he will brief once more on the poll trends after votes of 20 states have been counted, and then finally declare the result after the total counting.

    All ballot boxes from state assemblies had reached the Parliament’s strongroom on Tuesday evening and have been locked there since.

    The ballot boxes had been flown into the national capital as ‘Mr Ballot Box’ from across the states.

    ‘Mr Ballot Box’ came seated in the front row of aircraft under the watchful gaze of the Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) of their respective states.

    The Election Commission had on Monday posted photographs of the sealed ballot boxes onboard flights accompanied by AROs.

    According to the EC, each ballot box was issued an e-ticket under the name ‘Mr Ballot Box’.

    Polling for the presidential election was held between 10 am to 5 pm Monday at 31 locations including the Parliament House and 30 centres within state legislative assemblies.

    There are also reports of cross-voting in favour of Murmu in a number of states.

    There is no whip issued to members in the presidential poll.

    MPs of both, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, except nominated MPs, and all MLAs in the legislative assembly in all states act as electors in the presidential poll.

    A total of 4,809 electors, comprising 776 MPs and 4,033 elected MLAs, are entitled to vote in the election, but nominated MPs and MLAs, and Members of the Legislative Council are not.

    Over 99 per cent of the total electors had cast their ballot in the poll that took place Monday, according to the Election Commission.

    Eight MPs, including BJP MPs Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dhotre, were among those who missed casting their votes.

    Actor-politician Deol missed voting since he is abroad for medical treatment, while Dhotre gave it a pass since he was in the ICU.

    Two MPs each from BJP and Shiv Sena, and one from the BSP, Congress, SP, and AIMIM missed voting in the Monday polls.

    Kovind had become the President after polling 7,02,044 votes out of a total of 10,69,358 votes, while his rival Meira Kumar polled only 3,67,314 votes.

    NEW DELHI: India on Thursday will know who will succeed incumbent Ram Nath Kovind to become the country’s 15th President, as counting of votes for the presidential election begins at 11 am at the Parliament House here.

    Ruling NDA’s Droupadi Murmu and Opposition’s Yashwant Sinha are pitted against each other in the contest, with votes clearly stacked in favour of Murmu, who, if elected, will be the first tribal woman to occupy the top constitutional post in the country.

    Kovind’s tenure is ending on July 24 and the new president will take oath on July 25.

    With ballot boxes from all states had reached the Parliament House, poll officials are ready for the counting in room number 63, the strongroom of Parliament where the boxes are guarded behind round-the-clock security.

    Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody, who is the Chief Returning Officer for the poll, will oversee the counting Thursday, the result of which is likely to be declared by the evening.

    Mody will first brief on the poll trends after all votes of MPs have been counted, and then again after votes of 10 states in alphabetical order have been counted.

    Sources said he will brief once more on the poll trends after votes of 20 states have been counted, and then finally declare the result after the total counting.

    All ballot boxes from state assemblies had reached the Parliament’s strongroom on Tuesday evening and have been locked there since.

    The ballot boxes had been flown into the national capital as ‘Mr Ballot Box’ from across the states.

    ‘Mr Ballot Box’ came seated in the front row of aircraft under the watchful gaze of the Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) of their respective states.

    The Election Commission had on Monday posted photographs of the sealed ballot boxes onboard flights accompanied by AROs.

    According to the EC, each ballot box was issued an e-ticket under the name ‘Mr Ballot Box’.

    Polling for the presidential election was held between 10 am to 5 pm Monday at 31 locations including the Parliament House and 30 centres within state legislative assemblies.

    There are also reports of cross-voting in favour of Murmu in a number of states.

    There is no whip issued to members in the presidential poll.

    MPs of both, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, except nominated MPs, and all MLAs in the legislative assembly in all states act as electors in the presidential poll.

    A total of 4,809 electors, comprising 776 MPs and 4,033 elected MLAs, are entitled to vote in the election, but nominated MPs and MLAs, and Members of the Legislative Council are not.

    Over 99 per cent of the total electors had cast their ballot in the poll that took place Monday, according to the Election Commission.

    Eight MPs, including BJP MPs Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dhotre, were among those who missed casting their votes.

    Actor-politician Deol missed voting since he is abroad for medical treatment, while Dhotre gave it a pass since he was in the ICU.

    Two MPs each from BJP and Shiv Sena, and one from the BSP, Congress, SP, and AIMIM missed voting in the Monday polls.

    Kovind had become the President after polling 7,02,044 votes out of a total of 10,69,358 votes, while his rival Meira Kumar polled only 3,67,314 votes.

  • Presidential polls: Voted according to my conscience, says rebel Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: Haryana Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi, who cross-voted in last month’s Rajya Sabha polls, on Monday said he has voted according to his conscience in the presidential election too.

    Indicating that he supported NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu rather than the opposition’s Yashwant Sinha, Bishnoi said in Delhi, “Like in Rajya Sabha, I have cast my vote in this election too as per my conscience”.

    When reporters asked about his future course of action, he said, “I will reveal that soon.”

    “The Congress is no longer the party as it was during Indira ji or Rajiv ji’s time,” he said, claiming that common workers and even senior “don’t get that respect in the Congress now”.

    He said Congress leaders, with whom he has personal relations, keep telling him that he should not leave the party.

    Before the Rajya Sabha polls too, Bishnoi, the younger son of former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal, had said he would go by his conscience.

    The system of secret ballot is followed in the presidential election, and parties cannot issue whips to their MPs and MLAs.

    While other Haryana MLAs were exercising their franchise at the Vidhan Sabha complex in Chandigarh, Bishnoi had sought permission to cast his vote at Parliament House.

    The 53-year-old legislator from Adampur had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda in New Delhi recently and later heaped praises on them.

    Bishnoi, a four-time MLA and a two-time MP, has been sulking ever since the Congress ignored him for the post of its Haryana unit chief during a revamp earlier this year.

    The party appointed Udai Bhan, a loyalist of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, as its Haryana president.

    Bishnoi was expelled from all party positions on June 11 for not following the party line in the Rajya Sabha elections.

    “The Congress also has rules for some leaders and exceptions for others. Rules are applied selectively. Indiscipline has been repeatedly ignored in the past. In my case, I listened to my soul and acted on my morals,” he had then tweeted in response.

    Last month, Bishnoi said he was consulting his supporters to decide his next course of action.

    Earlier, the Adampur MLA and a prominent non-Jat face in Haryana, Bishnoi had batted for promoting young faces with a “mass base” to strengthen the party.

    He had earlier described Jyotiraditya Scindia’s exit from the party as a big blow and said there are many devoted leaders across the country who feel “alienated, wasted and discontented”.

    In the recent Rajya Sabha election, the Congress, which is the main opposition party in Haryana, was assured of one seat by virtue of the number of MLAs it has in the 90-member assembly.

    However, Congress candidate Ajay Maken failed to secure the berth after Bishnoi cross-voted, while another MLA’s vote was declared invalid.

    BJP’s Krishan Lal Panwar and the saffron party-backed Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma were elected to the two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana for which the election was held last month.

    CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: Haryana Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi, who cross-voted in last month’s Rajya Sabha polls, on Monday said he has voted according to his conscience in the presidential election too.

    Indicating that he supported NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu rather than the opposition’s Yashwant Sinha, Bishnoi said in Delhi, “Like in Rajya Sabha, I have cast my vote in this election too as per my conscience”.

    When reporters asked about his future course of action, he said, “I will reveal that soon.”

    “The Congress is no longer the party as it was during Indira ji or Rajiv ji’s time,” he said, claiming that common workers and even senior “don’t get that respect in the Congress now”.

    He said Congress leaders, with whom he has personal relations, keep telling him that he should not leave the party.

    Before the Rajya Sabha polls too, Bishnoi, the younger son of former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal, had said he would go by his conscience.

    The system of secret ballot is followed in the presidential election, and parties cannot issue whips to their MPs and MLAs.

    While other Haryana MLAs were exercising their franchise at the Vidhan Sabha complex in Chandigarh, Bishnoi had sought permission to cast his vote at Parliament House.

    The 53-year-old legislator from Adampur had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda in New Delhi recently and later heaped praises on them.

    Bishnoi, a four-time MLA and a two-time MP, has been sulking ever since the Congress ignored him for the post of its Haryana unit chief during a revamp earlier this year.

    The party appointed Udai Bhan, a loyalist of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, as its Haryana president.

    Bishnoi was expelled from all party positions on June 11 for not following the party line in the Rajya Sabha elections.

    “The Congress also has rules for some leaders and exceptions for others. Rules are applied selectively. Indiscipline has been repeatedly ignored in the past. In my case, I listened to my soul and acted on my morals,” he had then tweeted in response.

    Last month, Bishnoi said he was consulting his supporters to decide his next course of action.

    Earlier, the Adampur MLA and a prominent non-Jat face in Haryana, Bishnoi had batted for promoting young faces with a “mass base” to strengthen the party.

    He had earlier described Jyotiraditya Scindia’s exit from the party as a big blow and said there are many devoted leaders across the country who feel “alienated, wasted and discontented”.

    In the recent Rajya Sabha election, the Congress, which is the main opposition party in Haryana, was assured of one seat by virtue of the number of MLAs it has in the 90-member assembly.

    However, Congress candidate Ajay Maken failed to secure the berth after Bishnoi cross-voted, while another MLA’s vote was declared invalid.

    BJP’s Krishan Lal Panwar and the saffron party-backed Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma were elected to the two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana for which the election was held last month.

  • ‘Listened to conscience’: NCP MLAs in Jharkhand, Gujarat indulge in cross-voting in Presidential elections

    By PTI

    RANCHI: NCP MLA Kamlesh Singh on Monday took many in political circles by surprise when he announced that he voted for NDA presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu.

    Murmu, an ex-governor of Jharkhand, is up against former Hazaribag MP Yashwant Sinha, the joint candidate of non-BJP parties, including the Congress, the TMC and the NCP.

    Singh said he went by his “conscience call” while exercising his franchise.

    “Some things in life should be done in accordance with our conscience call. I have taken this decision in the interest of Jharkhand. She (Murmu) has been a governor of this state and everyone knows her conduct,”” the NCP MLA stated.

    Speculation was rife that several Congress MLAs have also cross-voted, but the party’s state unit resident Rajesh Thakur rubbished the conjectures.

    “BJP MLAs might have voted for the opposition candidate.

    Congress legislators would never do so,” he claimed.

    Voting for the presidential poll began at 10 am continued till 5 pm.

    Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said polling for the presidential elections was held peacefully.

    Eighty out of 81 voters exercised their franchise here.

    BJP’s ailing Sindri MLA, Indrajeet Mahto could not cast his vote as he is undergoing treatment in hospital.

    “Ballot boxes have been sealed. These will be sent to Delhi on July 19,” he said.

    No MP from the state cast their votes here, Kumar stated, adding that the 20 parliamentarians were scheduled to exercise their franchise in Delhi.

    Both Murmu and Sinha had visited Jharkhand to seek support.

    The ruling JMM, which runs a coalition government in the state with the Congress and the RJD, had initially backed Sinha only to receive flak from the tribal community to which both Murmu and the party’s executive president and Chief Minister Hemant Soren belong.

    The party then pledged support for the NDA nominee.

    Soren said legislators of his party have voted in line with the decision taken.

    “You are aware of the party’s decision. Legislators and parliamentarians have voted accordingly,” Soren told reporters.

    JMM leader and state education minister Jagarnath Mahto said he followed his party’s directions while another MLA Nalin Soren asserted that he “listened to his heart”, without divulging any further detail.

    As many as 28 legislators of the NDA, including two of the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) Party, reached the Assembly premises in a bus during the day to exercise their franchise.

    The MLAs, under the leadership of former chief minister Babulal Marandi and AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto, showed victory signs, as some of them said they were elated over the fact that Murmu, a tribal woman, was set to get elevated to the top constitutional post in a first.

    “NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu will get the support of at least 65 legislators in Jharkhand under any circumstance as many Congress legislators are also going to listen to their conscience and vote for her,” BJP MLA Biranchi Narayan claimed.

    BJP legislators Anant Ojha and Bhanu Pratap Shahi were among the early ones to exercise the franchise.

    “I was the first one to vote to elect the first citizen. It is a matter of great pride for me,” Ojha said.

    Shahi said, “We strongly believe Murmu will work for the betterment of the society including the poor, downtrodden and Dalits.

    ”In the 81-member House, the ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance has a combined strength of 48, with the Shibu Soren-founded party alone having 30 seats in its kitty.

    The BJP has 26 legislators including Babulal Marandi, the former JVM-P chief who joined the saffron camp after the 2019 assembly elections.

    The vote value of each MP is 700 across the country.

    MLAs in Jharkhand have a vote value of 176 each.

    The JMM has three MPs in the state, the BJP 14, the Congress two and the AJSU Party one.

    Murmu, having secured the support of the JMM, is expected to garner a score of 22,808 in the state and Sinha 4,392, with the backing of the Congress and the RJD.

    MLA in Gujarat, Kandhal Jadeja, on Monday said he voted for Murmu.

    Notably, political parties cannot issue whip to their MLAs and MPs in the presidential poll.

    After voting in the Assembly complex here for the presidential election, Jadeja in a video statement said, “I cast my vote for the BJP candidate.”

    The opposition has fielded former Union minister Yashwant Sinha against NDA nominee Murmu.

    The Sharad Pawar-headed NCP is one of the constituents of the Congress-led opposition bloc in the country.

    In 2020, the NCP had issued a show cause notice was issued by the NCP to Jadeja, the lone party MLA in Gujarat from Kutiyana seat in Porbandar, for defying the whip and cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha polls.

    Jadeja had defied the party whip and voted for BJP candidates instead of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat in 2017 and 2020.

    Voting to elect the country’s 15th president was underway in the Gujarat Assembly complex in Gandhinagar from 10 am on Monday and will continue till 5 pm.

    Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Speaker Nimaben Acharya, former CM Vijay Rupani, ex-Deputy CM Nitin Patel and Leader of Opposition Sukhram Rathva were among those who cast their votes.

    RANCHI: NCP MLA Kamlesh Singh on Monday took many in political circles by surprise when he announced that he voted for NDA presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu.

    Murmu, an ex-governor of Jharkhand, is up against former Hazaribag MP Yashwant Sinha, the joint candidate of non-BJP parties, including the Congress, the TMC and the NCP.

    Singh said he went by his “conscience call” while exercising his franchise.

    “Some things in life should be done in accordance with our conscience call. I have taken this decision in the interest of Jharkhand. She (Murmu) has been a governor of this state and everyone knows her conduct,”” the NCP MLA stated.

    Speculation was rife that several Congress MLAs have also cross-voted, but the party’s state unit resident Rajesh Thakur rubbished the conjectures.

    “BJP MLAs might have voted for the opposition candidate.

    Congress legislators would never do so,” he claimed.

    Voting for the presidential poll began at 10 am continued till 5 pm.

    Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said polling for the presidential elections was held peacefully.

    Eighty out of 81 voters exercised their franchise here.

    BJP’s ailing Sindri MLA, Indrajeet Mahto could not cast his vote as he is undergoing treatment in hospital.

    “Ballot boxes have been sealed. These will be sent to Delhi on July 19,” he said.

    No MP from the state cast their votes here, Kumar stated, adding that the 20 parliamentarians were scheduled to exercise their franchise in Delhi.

    Both Murmu and Sinha had visited Jharkhand to seek support.

    The ruling JMM, which runs a coalition government in the state with the Congress and the RJD, had initially backed Sinha only to receive flak from the tribal community to which both Murmu and the party’s executive president and Chief Minister Hemant Soren belong.

    The party then pledged support for the NDA nominee.

    Soren said legislators of his party have voted in line with the decision taken.

    “You are aware of the party’s decision. Legislators and parliamentarians have voted accordingly,” Soren told reporters.

    JMM leader and state education minister Jagarnath Mahto said he followed his party’s directions while another MLA Nalin Soren asserted that he “listened to his heart”, without divulging any further detail.

    As many as 28 legislators of the NDA, including two of the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) Party, reached the Assembly premises in a bus during the day to exercise their franchise.

    The MLAs, under the leadership of former chief minister Babulal Marandi and AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto, showed victory signs, as some of them said they were elated over the fact that Murmu, a tribal woman, was set to get elevated to the top constitutional post in a first.

    “NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu will get the support of at least 65 legislators in Jharkhand under any circumstance as many Congress legislators are also going to listen to their conscience and vote for her,” BJP MLA Biranchi Narayan claimed.

    BJP legislators Anant Ojha and Bhanu Pratap Shahi were among the early ones to exercise the franchise.

    “I was the first one to vote to elect the first citizen. It is a matter of great pride for me,” Ojha said.

    Shahi said, “We strongly believe Murmu will work for the betterment of the society including the poor, downtrodden and Dalits.

    ”In the 81-member House, the ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance has a combined strength of 48, with the Shibu Soren-founded party alone having 30 seats in its kitty.

    The BJP has 26 legislators including Babulal Marandi, the former JVM-P chief who joined the saffron camp after the 2019 assembly elections.

    The vote value of each MP is 700 across the country.

    MLAs in Jharkhand have a vote value of 176 each.

    The JMM has three MPs in the state, the BJP 14, the Congress two and the AJSU Party one.

    Murmu, having secured the support of the JMM, is expected to garner a score of 22,808 in the state and Sinha 4,392, with the backing of the Congress and the RJD.

    MLA in Gujarat, Kandhal Jadeja, on Monday said he voted for Murmu.

    Notably, political parties cannot issue whip to their MLAs and MPs in the presidential poll.

    After voting in the Assembly complex here for the presidential election, Jadeja in a video statement said, “I cast my vote for the BJP candidate.”

    The opposition has fielded former Union minister Yashwant Sinha against NDA nominee Murmu.

    The Sharad Pawar-headed NCP is one of the constituents of the Congress-led opposition bloc in the country.

    In 2020, the NCP had issued a show cause notice was issued by the NCP to Jadeja, the lone party MLA in Gujarat from Kutiyana seat in Porbandar, for defying the whip and cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha polls.

    Jadeja had defied the party whip and voted for BJP candidates instead of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat in 2017 and 2020.

    Voting to elect the country’s 15th president was underway in the Gujarat Assembly complex in Gandhinagar from 10 am on Monday and will continue till 5 pm.

    Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Speaker Nimaben Acharya, former CM Vijay Rupani, ex-Deputy CM Nitin Patel and Leader of Opposition Sukhram Rathva were among those who cast their votes.

  • Presidential polls: Cross-voting fears in Maharashtra Congress, NCP

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: As lawmakers from Maharashtra gear up to vote on Monday to elect the country’s next president, there are concerns among the opposition parties over the possibility of cross-voting.

    MLAs and MPs form the electoral college to elect the President of India.

    The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress – the two main opposition parties in Maharashtra – have already held meetings with their legislators to ensure there is no any cross-voting in favour of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s candidate Droupadi Murmu.

    The opposition is concerned as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday claimed that Murmu would get the support of 200 MLAs from the state.

    “We will manage to get the votes of 200 MLAs for Droupadi Murmu. We want a very comfortable win for her,”” he said.

    Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha is the candidate of the Opposition.

    Notably, cross-voting was held during the Rajya Sabha elections and the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls last month.

    All five candidates of the BJP had won the Legislative Council polls held for 10 seats, while with its own numbers the BJP could have won only four seats.

    The Shiv Sena and the NCP won two seats each, while the Congress could only bag one seat.

    “There are some concerns in the NCP and Congress over guarding their votes.

    “The Congress already faced an embarrassment in the Legislative Council election when one of its candidate lost against the BJP. We do not want it to happen again,”” a senior Congress leader said.

    The BJP currently has 106 MLAs in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly along with 40 MLAs belonging to the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, besides 10 independents who support the BJP.

    ““Without cross-voting, Murmu cannot get the votes of 200 MLAs, as claimed by CM Shinde. If Murmu gets 200 votes, it will be a further setback for the Congress, NCP and the Shiv Sena,” a political analyst said.

    The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena with 15 MLAs has announced support for Murmu.

    The NCP and Congress have 53 and 44 MLAs, respectively.

    Of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, 23 MPs belong to the BJP, 18 to Shiv Sena, four to NCP, and one to Congress.

    Of the rest two MPs, one belongs to the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and another is Independent.

    Various political parties in the state are also taking extra efforts to ensure none of the votes cast by their MLAs and MPs turn invalid in the presidential election.

    MUMBAI: As lawmakers from Maharashtra gear up to vote on Monday to elect the country’s next president, there are concerns among the opposition parties over the possibility of cross-voting.

    MLAs and MPs form the electoral college to elect the President of India.

    The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress – the two main opposition parties in Maharashtra – have already held meetings with their legislators to ensure there is no any cross-voting in favour of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s candidate Droupadi Murmu.

    The opposition is concerned as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday claimed that Murmu would get the support of 200 MLAs from the state.

    “We will manage to get the votes of 200 MLAs for Droupadi Murmu. We want a very comfortable win for her,”” he said.

    Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha is the candidate of the Opposition.

    Notably, cross-voting was held during the Rajya Sabha elections and the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls last month.

    All five candidates of the BJP had won the Legislative Council polls held for 10 seats, while with its own numbers the BJP could have won only four seats.

    The Shiv Sena and the NCP won two seats each, while the Congress could only bag one seat.

    “There are some concerns in the NCP and Congress over guarding their votes.

    “The Congress already faced an embarrassment in the Legislative Council election when one of its candidate lost against the BJP. We do not want it to happen again,”” a senior Congress leader said.

    The BJP currently has 106 MLAs in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly along with 40 MLAs belonging to the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, besides 10 independents who support the BJP.

    ““Without cross-voting, Murmu cannot get the votes of 200 MLAs, as claimed by CM Shinde. If Murmu gets 200 votes, it will be a further setback for the Congress, NCP and the Shiv Sena,” a political analyst said.

    The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena with 15 MLAs has announced support for Murmu.

    The NCP and Congress have 53 and 44 MLAs, respectively.

    Of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, 23 MPs belong to the BJP, 18 to Shiv Sena, four to NCP, and one to Congress.

    Of the rest two MPs, one belongs to the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and another is Independent.

    Various political parties in the state are also taking extra efforts to ensure none of the votes cast by their MLAs and MPs turn invalid in the presidential election.

  • Presidential polls: Electoral fate of Murmu, Sinha to be stored in ballot boxes, not EVMs

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Ever wondered why electronic voting machines, used in four Lok Sabha elections and 127 assembly polls since 2004, are not deployed in polls to elect the President and Vice President of India, members of Rajya Sabha, and members of state legislative councils? The EVMs are based on a technology where they work as aggregators of votes in direct elections such as the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

    Voters press the button against the name of the candidate of their choice and the one who bags the maximum number of votes is declared elected.

    But the election of the President is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.

    In accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote, every elector can mark as many preferences, as there are candidates contesting the election.

    These preferences for the candidates are to be marked by the elector, by placing the figures 1,2,3, 4, 5 and so on, against the names of the candidates, in the order of preference, in the space provided in column 2 of the ballot paper.

    In Monday’s election Droupadi Murmu of the NDA and Yashwant Sinha, backed by the opposition are the two candidates.

    The EVMs, officials explained, are not designed to register this system of voting.

    The EVM is an aggregator of votes and under the system of proportional representation, the machine will have to compute votes based on preference and it requires an altogether different technology.

    In other words, a different type of EVM would be needed.

    According to the August, 2021 issue of ‘My Vote Matters’, a quarterly magazine of the Election Commission, since 2004, EVMs have been used in four Lok Sabha and 127 assembly elections.

    According to the EC website, first conceived in 1977 in the Election Commission, the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL), Hyderabad was assigned the task to design and develop EVMs.

    In 1979 a prototype was developed, which was demonstrated by the Election Commission before the representatives of political parties on August 6, 1980.

    The Bharat Electronic Ltd (BEL), Bengaluru, another public-sector undertaking, was co-opted along with ECIL to manufacture EVMs once a broad consensus was reached on its introduction.

    The machines were first used in the assembly election in Kerala in May, 1982.

    However, the absence of a specific law prescribing its use led to the Supreme Court striking down that election.

    Subsequently, in 1989, Parliament amended the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to create a provision for the use of EVMs in elections.

    A general consensus on its introduction could be reached only in 1998 and these were used in 25 legislative assembly constituencies spread across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

    In the assembly elections held in May 2001 in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and West Bengal, the EVMs were used in all the assembly constituencies.

    Since then, for every state assembly election, the Commission has used the EVMs.

    In the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, more than 10 lakh EVMs were used in all 543 parliamentary constituencies of the country.

    NEW DELHI: Ever wondered why electronic voting machines, used in four Lok Sabha elections and 127 assembly polls since 2004, are not deployed in polls to elect the President and Vice President of India, members of Rajya Sabha, and members of state legislative councils? The EVMs are based on a technology where they work as aggregators of votes in direct elections such as the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

    Voters press the button against the name of the candidate of their choice and the one who bags the maximum number of votes is declared elected.

    But the election of the President is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.

    In accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote, every elector can mark as many preferences, as there are candidates contesting the election.

    These preferences for the candidates are to be marked by the elector, by placing the figures 1,2,3, 4, 5 and so on, against the names of the candidates, in the order of preference, in the space provided in column 2 of the ballot paper.

    In Monday’s election Droupadi Murmu of the NDA and Yashwant Sinha, backed by the opposition are the two candidates.

    The EVMs, officials explained, are not designed to register this system of voting.

    The EVM is an aggregator of votes and under the system of proportional representation, the machine will have to compute votes based on preference and it requires an altogether different technology.

    In other words, a different type of EVM would be needed.

    According to the August, 2021 issue of ‘My Vote Matters’, a quarterly magazine of the Election Commission, since 2004, EVMs have been used in four Lok Sabha and 127 assembly elections.

    According to the EC website, first conceived in 1977 in the Election Commission, the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL), Hyderabad was assigned the task to design and develop EVMs.

    In 1979 a prototype was developed, which was demonstrated by the Election Commission before the representatives of political parties on August 6, 1980.

    The Bharat Electronic Ltd (BEL), Bengaluru, another public-sector undertaking, was co-opted along with ECIL to manufacture EVMs once a broad consensus was reached on its introduction.

    The machines were first used in the assembly election in Kerala in May, 1982.

    However, the absence of a specific law prescribing its use led to the Supreme Court striking down that election.

    Subsequently, in 1989, Parliament amended the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to create a provision for the use of EVMs in elections.

    A general consensus on its introduction could be reached only in 1998 and these were used in 25 legislative assembly constituencies spread across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

    In the assembly elections held in May 2001 in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and West Bengal, the EVMs were used in all the assembly constituencies.

    Since then, for every state assembly election, the Commission has used the EVMs.

    In the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, more than 10 lakh EVMs were used in all 543 parliamentary constituencies of the country.

  • Chirag in NDA meet on presidential poll preparation, says his presence due to support to Murmu

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan on Sunday attended a meeting of the BJP-led NDA on the presidential poll preparation, a significant development as he had kept away from the ruling alliance’s gatherings after walking out of the coalition during the 2020 Bihar assembly polls.

    Paswan, however, told PTI that attending the meeting did not mean he was again a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

    The second-term Lok Sabha MP walked into the venue of the meeting along with several other MPs, mostly from the BJP, where a demonstration on the voting for the presidential poll was given on the eve of the election.

    The Jamui MP, however, said later that his presence at the meeting was because of his support to the ruling alliance’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.

    She also joined the MPs later.

    Paswan said he was invited to attend the meeting.

    “It does not mean that I am part of the NDA,” he told PTI.

    Paswan had quit the NDA in Bihar due to his opposition to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), the biggest alliance member after the BJP.

    He had then claimed that he remained a BJP ally at the national level and had quit the grouping in Bihar for state-specific reasons.

    However, the JD(U)’s stiff resistance ensured that he did not attend NDA meetings.

    The BJP’s invitation to him to attend a ruling alliance’s meeting ahead of Parliament’s budget session had invited a sharp reaction from Kumar’s party, leading to Paswan skipping it.

    JD(U) MPs, including its president Lalan Singh, also attended the meeting held in the Parliament complex on Sunday.

    Paswan’s relations with the BJP had also soured after his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras split the Lok Janshakti Party and was joined by all other party MPs.

    The Paras faction was recognised as the real LJP in Lok Sabha, and he was sworn in as a minister in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.

    Chirag Paswan had also taken swipes at the BJP following his eviction from a government bungalow, first allotted to his father and stalwart Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan.

    NEW DELHI: Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan on Sunday attended a meeting of the BJP-led NDA on the presidential poll preparation, a significant development as he had kept away from the ruling alliance’s gatherings after walking out of the coalition during the 2020 Bihar assembly polls.

    Paswan, however, told PTI that attending the meeting did not mean he was again a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

    The second-term Lok Sabha MP walked into the venue of the meeting along with several other MPs, mostly from the BJP, where a demonstration on the voting for the presidential poll was given on the eve of the election.

    The Jamui MP, however, said later that his presence at the meeting was because of his support to the ruling alliance’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.

    She also joined the MPs later.

    Paswan said he was invited to attend the meeting.

    “It does not mean that I am part of the NDA,” he told PTI.

    Paswan had quit the NDA in Bihar due to his opposition to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), the biggest alliance member after the BJP.

    He had then claimed that he remained a BJP ally at the national level and had quit the grouping in Bihar for state-specific reasons.

    However, the JD(U)’s stiff resistance ensured that he did not attend NDA meetings.

    The BJP’s invitation to him to attend a ruling alliance’s meeting ahead of Parliament’s budget session had invited a sharp reaction from Kumar’s party, leading to Paswan skipping it.

    JD(U) MPs, including its president Lalan Singh, also attended the meeting held in the Parliament complex on Sunday.

    Paswan’s relations with the BJP had also soured after his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras split the Lok Janshakti Party and was joined by all other party MPs.

    The Paras faction was recognised as the real LJP in Lok Sabha, and he was sworn in as a minister in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.

    Chirag Paswan had also taken swipes at the BJP following his eviction from a government bungalow, first allotted to his father and stalwart Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan.

  • Presidential polls: Political parties in Maharashtra take precautions to ensure votes do not become invalid

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Various political parties in Maharashtra are taking extra efforts to ensure none of the votes cast by their MLAs and MPs turn invalid in Monday’s presidential election.

    MLAs and MPs form the electoral college to elect the President of India.

    The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has fielded Droupadi Murmu for the Presidential election.

    Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha is the candidate of the Opposition.

    A Maharashtra BJP leader said on Sunday that the party has taken extra efforts to educate each of its MLAs and MPs on voting for the Presidential polls to avoid their ballots getting invalidated for any lacunae.

    The BJP had conducted mock voting sessions for the MLAs and MPs.

    “In 2017 (Presidential election), of the total votes cast, 77 were invalidated at the national level. We do not know how many invalidated votes were from Maharashtra but we want to avoid any such embarrassment this time,” said the BJP leader.

    The BJP has 106 MLAs in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly along with 40 MLAs belonging to the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena besides ten independents who support the BJP.

    The Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray with 15 MLAs has supported Murmu.

    The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress have 53 and 44 MLAs, respectively.

    Of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, 23 MPs belong to the BJP, 18 to Shiv Sena, four to NCP, and one to Congress.

    Of the rest two MPs, one belongs to the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and another is Independent.

    The Congress and the NCP had organised meetings with their MLAs and MPs to ensure that they vote for the Opposition candidate Sinha and that cross-voting is avoided.

    MUMBAI: Various political parties in Maharashtra are taking extra efforts to ensure none of the votes cast by their MLAs and MPs turn invalid in Monday’s presidential election.

    MLAs and MPs form the electoral college to elect the President of India.

    The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has fielded Droupadi Murmu for the Presidential election.

    Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha is the candidate of the Opposition.

    A Maharashtra BJP leader said on Sunday that the party has taken extra efforts to educate each of its MLAs and MPs on voting for the Presidential polls to avoid their ballots getting invalidated for any lacunae.

    The BJP had conducted mock voting sessions for the MLAs and MPs.

    “In 2017 (Presidential election), of the total votes cast, 77 were invalidated at the national level. We do not know how many invalidated votes were from Maharashtra but we want to avoid any such embarrassment this time,” said the BJP leader.

    The BJP has 106 MLAs in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly along with 40 MLAs belonging to the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena besides ten independents who support the BJP.

    The Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray with 15 MLAs has supported Murmu.

    The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress have 53 and 44 MLAs, respectively.

    Of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, 23 MPs belong to the BJP, 18 to Shiv Sena, four to NCP, and one to Congress.

    Of the rest two MPs, one belongs to the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and another is Independent.

    The Congress and the NCP had organised meetings with their MLAs and MPs to ensure that they vote for the Opposition candidate Sinha and that cross-voting is avoided.

  • ‘Nitish refused to pick up my calls when I sought support’: Yashwant Sinha attacks JDU supremo

    By PTI

    PATNA: The opposition’s Presidential poll candidate Yashwant Sinha on Friday revealed that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar refused to take his calls when he tried to seek the latter’s support for his candidature.

    Sinha, who had been a cabinet colleague of Kumar during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure, also expressed surprise at the lack of support from Bihar’s chief minister given that he had roots in the state and that Odisha’s CM Naveen Patnaik has rooted for Draupadi Murmu as she is a daughter of the state.

    “After I was declared the Presidential candidate by the opposition, I tried to call up Nitish Kumar a number of times. He never answered, perhaps thinking I do not enjoy the status to be worthy of his time”, said Sinha, betraying a sense of insult and bitterness.

    He was talking to reporters after canvassing for the July 18 polls.

    Leader of the opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Yadav, Bollywood actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha and former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani’s close aide Sudheendra Kulkarni were among those present on the occasion.

    Sinha said “it will be good for Bihar if, after a gap of 60 years, another son of the soil occupies the top post which was held by Dr Rajendra Prasad. This is the city where I was born, received my education, taught at the Patna University and served in my capacity as a Bihar cadre IAS officer”.

    The former BJP leader said he “failed to understand” why Nitish Kumar, who had refused to support another Bihari Meira Kumar in the last Presidential polls, was still not ready to take a leaf out of Patnaik’s book or that of the Shiv Sena which had supported Pratibha Patil because she was a Maharashtrian though fielded by the Congress-led UPA to which it was opposed at that time.

    The outspoken bureaucrat-turned-politician, who has been alleging that Murmu will be a “rubber stamp” asked people to recall the photograph of filing of nomination papers by the NDA candidate in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    “People talk of Pratibha Patil as having been a rubber stamp but even when she was in the fray she handed over her own papers. The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh looked on. In the case of Murmu, it was the current Prime Minister who handed over the papers. That image is a screaming sign of the shape of things to come”, said Sinha.

    He was also full of praise for Tejashwi Yadav, with whose father Lalu Prasad he has had many slanging matches on the floor of the Parliament.

    “Tejashwi Yadav has done a wonderful job in rallying along different parties in the opposition. The state, like the country, has fallen in wrong hands. I hope people will repose their trust in him”, said Sinha.

    Speaking on the sidelines of the press conference, Shatrughan Sinha, who wears his love for his home state on his sleeves, thereby earning the epithet “Bihari babu”, hoped that Yashwant Sinha will get wholehearted support from the state.

    “It is an election in which no whip is issued. It is a historic opportunity to heed one’s conscience and act in national interest. The game is not over till votes are cast”, said the Asansol MP.

    Sinha on Friday termed a new list of words deemed “unparliamentary” and a circular forbidding demonstrations inside the Sansad Bhavan premises were the latest in a series of “unprecedented assaults” on democracy in the country.

    Addressing a press conference here as part of his campaign, the former Union minister claimed the parliamentary system of democracy, under the current regime, looked “pangu” (crippled) and urged the public to “wake up” before it was too late.

    “In every democratic system, the House of directly elected representatives allows for free debate. This is a reason why words uttered inside Parliament fall outside the ambit of judicial review. With all types of words which can be used to criticize the government deemed unparliamentary now, we are witnessing yet another assault on the country’s lokshahi (democracy)”, said Sinha, who has served as a Member of Parliament for several terms.

    The bureaucrat turned politician who had held important portfolios such as Minister for External Affairs and Finance in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, also expressed outrage over the circular that forbids MPs from staging a demonstration in front of a imposing statue of Mahatma Gandhi within the Parliament complex.

    “Parliamentary system of democracy is all about debates and discussions, on the floor as well as outside and at various committees. But the country and the Constitution seems to have gone into wrong hands. Democracy is under attack on an unprecedented scale, on a daily basis. It has never looked so crippled (pangu)”, he added.

    Sinha, who was a Bihar cadre IAS officer until he took the political plunge four decades ago, also referred to the Agnipath controversy which had left the state in throes of a violent protest.

    “In every country, there is a military service and there is a national service which provides the youth with an opportunity to serve on an ad hoc basis. Agnipath falls in neither category. The Agniveers will be on streets (sadak veer) after completing four years of service and we cannot imagine the social unrest it will lead to,” he noted grimly.

    Sinha acknowledged that as per the Constitution, the President did not enjoy many powers but asserted that a right person for the job “could summon the Prime Minister and advise him on various issues”.

    “The problem is that there is no mechanism in place which can put a check on the current regime’s recklessness”, said the former BJP leader.

    PATNA: The opposition’s Presidential poll candidate Yashwant Sinha on Friday revealed that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar refused to take his calls when he tried to seek the latter’s support for his candidature.

    Sinha, who had been a cabinet colleague of Kumar during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure, also expressed surprise at the lack of support from Bihar’s chief minister given that he had roots in the state and that Odisha’s CM Naveen Patnaik has rooted for Draupadi Murmu as she is a daughter of the state.

    “After I was declared the Presidential candidate by the opposition, I tried to call up Nitish Kumar a number of times. He never answered, perhaps thinking I do not enjoy the status to be worthy of his time”, said Sinha, betraying a sense of insult and bitterness.

    He was talking to reporters after canvassing for the July 18 polls.

    Leader of the opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Yadav, Bollywood actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha and former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani’s close aide Sudheendra Kulkarni were among those present on the occasion.

    Sinha said “it will be good for Bihar if, after a gap of 60 years, another son of the soil occupies the top post which was held by Dr Rajendra Prasad. This is the city where I was born, received my education, taught at the Patna University and served in my capacity as a Bihar cadre IAS officer”.

    The former BJP leader said he “failed to understand” why Nitish Kumar, who had refused to support another Bihari Meira Kumar in the last Presidential polls, was still not ready to take a leaf out of Patnaik’s book or that of the Shiv Sena which had supported Pratibha Patil because she was a Maharashtrian though fielded by the Congress-led UPA to which it was opposed at that time.

    The outspoken bureaucrat-turned-politician, who has been alleging that Murmu will be a “rubber stamp” asked people to recall the photograph of filing of nomination papers by the NDA candidate in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    “People talk of Pratibha Patil as having been a rubber stamp but even when she was in the fray she handed over her own papers. The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh looked on. In the case of Murmu, it was the current Prime Minister who handed over the papers. That image is a screaming sign of the shape of things to come”, said Sinha.

    He was also full of praise for Tejashwi Yadav, with whose father Lalu Prasad he has had many slanging matches on the floor of the Parliament.

    “Tejashwi Yadav has done a wonderful job in rallying along different parties in the opposition. The state, like the country, has fallen in wrong hands. I hope people will repose their trust in him”, said Sinha.

    Speaking on the sidelines of the press conference, Shatrughan Sinha, who wears his love for his home state on his sleeves, thereby earning the epithet “Bihari babu”, hoped that Yashwant Sinha will get wholehearted support from the state.

    “It is an election in which no whip is issued. It is a historic opportunity to heed one’s conscience and act in national interest. The game is not over till votes are cast”, said the Asansol MP.

    Sinha on Friday termed a new list of words deemed “unparliamentary” and a circular forbidding demonstrations inside the Sansad Bhavan premises were the latest in a series of “unprecedented assaults” on democracy in the country.

    Addressing a press conference here as part of his campaign, the former Union minister claimed the parliamentary system of democracy, under the current regime, looked “pangu” (crippled) and urged the public to “wake up” before it was too late.

    “In every democratic system, the House of directly elected representatives allows for free debate. This is a reason why words uttered inside Parliament fall outside the ambit of judicial review. With all types of words which can be used to criticize the government deemed unparliamentary now, we are witnessing yet another assault on the country’s lokshahi (democracy)”, said Sinha, who has served as a Member of Parliament for several terms.

    The bureaucrat turned politician who had held important portfolios such as Minister for External Affairs and Finance in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, also expressed outrage over the circular that forbids MPs from staging a demonstration in front of a imposing statue of Mahatma Gandhi within the Parliament complex.

    “Parliamentary system of democracy is all about debates and discussions, on the floor as well as outside and at various committees. But the country and the Constitution seems to have gone into wrong hands. Democracy is under attack on an unprecedented scale, on a daily basis. It has never looked so crippled (pangu)”, he added.

    Sinha, who was a Bihar cadre IAS officer until he took the political plunge four decades ago, also referred to the Agnipath controversy which had left the state in throes of a violent protest.

    “In every country, there is a military service and there is a national service which provides the youth with an opportunity to serve on an ad hoc basis. Agnipath falls in neither category. The Agniveers will be on streets (sadak veer) after completing four years of service and we cannot imagine the social unrest it will lead to,” he noted grimly.

    Sinha acknowledged that as per the Constitution, the President did not enjoy many powers but asserted that a right person for the job “could summon the Prime Minister and advise him on various issues”.

    “The problem is that there is no mechanism in place which can put a check on the current regime’s recklessness”, said the former BJP leader.

  • Rajbhar’s party yet to take call on presidential election, keeps Opposition camp guessing

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW/BALLIA: Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, which has kept ally Samajwadi Party guessing on whom it will vote for in the presidential election, will take a call on Saturday after meeting SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, a party leader said.

    However, SP party leader Udaiveer Singh, whose name was taken by the SBSP leader for finalising the meeting, said “no such meeting has been fixed”.

    As chinks appear in the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh, the SBSP has been sending mixed signals on whether its MLAs will vote for opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha or ruling NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu.

    On Tuesday, an SBSP spokesperson maintained that the party still remained part of the SP-led alliance.

    SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar had earlier said he will announce the party s decision on the presidential election on Tuesday after meeting Akhilesh Yadav on the issue and other matters related to the alliance.

    But spokesperson Arun Rajbhar told PTI that a press conference scheduled for the day has been cancelled.

    He said the SBSP chief will soon meet Yadav.

    He said senior SP leader Udaiveer Singh had earlier told the SBSP that Yadav will meet them in a couple of days.

    He suggested that the planned meeting has got delayed because of the death of party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav’s wife Sadhna Yadav.

    “After having a meeting with Akhilesh Yadav regarding the presidential election, a press conference will be held in Lucknow on July 16,” the SBSP spokesperson, who is party chief’s son, said.

    However, SP leader and former MLC Udaiveer Singh denied claims of the SBSP leader regarding meeting with Akhilesh Yadav.

    “Neither such a meeting is fixed, nor anyone from SBSP has talked to SP or me for seeking the time (from SP Chief),” Singh clarified in a tweet in Hindi.

    Arun Rajbhar earlier maintained that the party remained an ally of the SP.

    “The SBSP is with the SP and will remain with it in the future as well,” he said.

    When asked about a party meeting Tuesday in Ballia s Rasra, he said, “Discussions were held on expanding the party organisation.

    The SBSP chief said that a meeting will be held (with Akhilesh Yadav) by July 16, after which “we will make it clear whom we will vote for,” he said.

    Om Prakash Rajbhar had created a flutter in the opposition camp by attending a dinner hosted by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow last Friday.

    It signalled cracks in the opposition alliance and triggered speculation that Rajbhar could walk out of the coalition that fought the recent assembly election together.

    Shivpal Yadav, who heads the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia), formally an SP ally, also attended the dinner hosted for Murmu.

    Jansatta Dal Loktantrik chief Raghuraj Pratap Singh, also known as Raja Bhaiya, and the lone Bahujan Samaj Party MLA in Uttar Pradesh, Uma Shankar Singh, were also present there.

  • ‘Why should we back Murmu in presidential poll?’ Trinamool MP on BJP letter seeking support

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Veteran TMC MP Saugata Roy on Friday said that he and other parliamentarians of his party have received a letter from the Bengal BJP leadership, seeking their support for NDA presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu.

    Roy, in the same breath, also said that lawmakers of his party would vote for joint non-BJP candidate Yashwant Sinha.

    Murmu, who had been touring states for electioneering, is scheduled to visit Kolkata to meet BJP MPs and MLAs from West Bengal.

    “We have received a letter signed by BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar and Leader of the opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari, urging us (TMC MPs) to support NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu for presidential polls. They have claimed that Murmu’s victory is certain, and we all should vote for her to strengthen democratic and constitutional norms,” Roy said.

    The veteran TMC MP, however, ruled out any possibility of backing Murmu.

    “Why should we support the NDA candidate when the opposition parties together have fielded Yashwant Sinha? We will vote for Sinha,” he said.

    Last month, Majumdar and Adhikari had written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, urging her to support Murmu in the July 18 presidential poll.

    The Bengal BJP had in June announced that it would write to all the TMC MPs and MLAs, seeking their support for the NDA nominee.

    Last week, Banerjee had said that Murmu, a tribal BJP leader from Odisha, could have been a consensus candidate had the saffron party discussed with the opposition parties before fielding her.