Prez poll: TDP MLA defies party diktat

Defying the Telugu Desam Party's decision to abstain in the presidential election on Thursday, a dissident legislator of the party S V Subba Reddy cast his vote, causing a flutter in the political circles in the state.

Apart from TDP, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and Majlis-e-Ittehaadul Muslimeen also decided to abstain from voting in the Presidential election for different reasons.

The lone CPI-Marxist-Leninist MLA Gummadi Narasaiah is 'boycotting' the presidential poll. A polling station was set up in the assembly premises where the monsoon session of the legislature is on.

Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, his cabinet colleagues, party MLAs, MPs Y S Vivekananda Reddy, Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy and V Hanumantha, as well as MLAs of Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India-Marxist cast their votes.

Independent MLAs, two legislators of Janata Party and one each of Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, who are sailing with the Congress, also voted.

Nine rebel TRS MLAs also defied the party diktat to abstain and voted in the election. Two BJP MLAs and suspended TRS MP A Narendra exercised their franchise. Other Congress MPs and two MPs each of CPI and CPI-M from the state, however, cast their votes in Delhi.

TDP, which is a key constituent of United National Progressive Alliance, abstained from voting. TDP has 10 MPs and 45

MLAs. However, senior leader and four-term MLA S V Subba Reddy, who represents Patikonda constituency in Kurnool district, disregarded the party decision and voted, taking the party leadership unawares.  

Four TRS MPs, including party boss K Chandrasekhar Rao, and 17 TRS MLAs abstained from voting to register their protest against the refusal of the Congress-led UPA to fulfil the assurance on the creation of separate Telangana state.

One MP and five MLAs belonging to MIM also stayed away from voting in protest against controversial remarks of UPA-Left Front presidential candidate Pratibha Patil on 'purdah' system.

The total value of votes from the state comes to 85,992 (42,480 for MPs and 43,512 for MLAs' votes), since AP has 60 MPs and 294 Members of Legislative Assembly. The value of each MP's vote is 708.

The value of each MLA's vote is 148. Since 45 MPs and 227 MLAs from the state exercised their franchise, the total value of votes cast comes to 65,456 (31,860 for
MPs and 33,596 for MLAs).

Out of this tally, the UPA-Left Front nominee Pratibha Patil is expected to get the support of all, barring two MLAs and rebel TRS MP. The value of votes cast in favour of NDA-backed Independent candidate comes to a mere 1,004. 

Congress poll managers claim that the UPA candidate would get a lead of 65,456 over her nearest rival from the state.