Presidential polls: NCP, Congress MLAs cross-vote in favour of NDA nominee Murmu

During the presidential polls on Monday, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs went against the party line to vote in favour of Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee Droupadi Murmu.

From NCP, Kandhal Jadeja, the sole MLA of the party in the Gujarat Assembly and Jharkhand MLA Kamlesh Singh, voted for Murmu.

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Congress’ Mohammed Moquim, an MLA from Odisha, said voting for Murmu was his "personal decision". "I am a Congress MLA, but I have voted for NDA's presidential candidate. It is my personal decision as I have listened to my heart, which guided me to do something for the soil," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. In addition, Haryana Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi, who also cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha polls held last month, indicated that he had voted for Murmu. “Like in Rajya Sabha, I have cast my vote in this election too as per my conscience.”

Both Congress and NCP, which are allies under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in Gujarat, had extended their support to the opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha.

NDA candidate Murmu has an edge over Sinha as more than 60 percent of the votes are expected to be polled in her favour. She is being supported by the BJD, YSRCP, BSP, AIADMK, TDP, JD(S), Shiromani Akali Dal, Shiv Sena, and the JMM. If elected, Murmu will become the first person from a tribal community and the second woman to hold the country’s top constitutional post.