Congress cross-voting in presidential polls, claims AIUDF MLA

Guwahati: All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya on Monday claimed that some Congress members had cross-voted in Presidential elections in Assam.

Speaking to ANI, the AIUDF MLA said at least 20 Congress MLAs in Assam had cast their votes in favour of National Democratic Alliance-backed Presidential Candidate Droupadi Murmu.

"There was a Congress meeting yesterday, it was attended by only two-three MLAs. Only District President was there. What was the need for a meeting in Assembly? Clear that Congress is cross-voting, it may be 20 plus. You can see numbers on the day of result," Barbhuiya said.

He further alleged that the same Congress MLAs had also betrayed its candidate in the Rajya Sabha election.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA from Gujarat Kandhal Jadeja said he voted for Murmu.
Speaking to reporters after casting his vote today, the lone NCP MLA in Gujarat said that he voted for the NDA presidential candidate.

This comes as a setback for the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, which has lent its support to joint Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha who is pitted against Murmu in the Presidential polls.

Also, Congress MLA from Odisha, Mohammed Moquim, said he has cross-voted and cast his vote in favour of Droupadi Murmu. "I have voted for the daughter of the soil," he told ANI..

Polling began at 10 am at the Parliament House and the state legislative assemblies with MPs and MLAs casting their votes to elect the 15th President of India. The voting process will conclude at 5 pm. The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on July 21.

NDA's Murmu has the support of Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal (Secular), Shiromani Akali Dal, both the factions of Shiv Sena and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Murmu is a former Governor of Jharkhand and a former Odisha minister. If elected, she will be the first tribal President of India and the country's second female President.

The Opposition's Sinha, a former Union Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government who later joined Trinamool Congress is backed by Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Sinha resigned from TMC before he was nominated as the Opposition's candidate for the presidential poll. (ANI)