Prez poll: 80 of 81 MLAs cast their votes in Jharkhand

Altogether 80 out of 81 members of Legislative Assembly in Jharkhand Assembly voted in the presidential elections on Thursday with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party alone among alliance partners backing P A Sangma.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Ajsu Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric) and the Janata Dal-United have  expressed support for the United Progressive Alliance presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee.

The only MLA of the Marxist Coordination Committee Arup Chatterjee who expressed support for Mukherjee, also cast his vote.

The lone MLA CPI (ML) Liberation member Vinod Kumar Singh abstained as per his party's decision.

"Eighty MLAs and MP Madhu Koda cast their votes at the end of the polling," a senior official in the assembly secretariat said.

Koda, who is in judicial custody, was allowed to vote in Ranchi.

Jharkhand Party MLA Enos Ekka and independent MLA Harinarayan Rai, who are also in judicial custody in corruption cases, also cast their votes.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda, Congress leaders Rajendra

Prasad Singh and Sarfaraz Ahmed were among the first legislators to cast their votes.

Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee chief and Rajya Sabha member Pradeep Kumar Balmachu cast his vote in Delhi.