Prez Poll Result: Heavy Cross-Voting Helped Droupadi Murmu To Secure 64% Votes. Sinha Drew Blank In 3 States

Presidential Election Result 2022: In the election held on Monday for the 15th President of the country, many party leaders cross-voted.

New Delhi: As NDA's Draupadi Murmu on Thursday scripted history as she won the presidential election after securing 6,76,803 votes as opposed to Yashwant Sinha's 3,80,177 votes, several legislators in states cross-voted in favour of NDA nominee Murmu by not following their party line in the election. While opposition's Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha drew a blank in Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim.

"She got a total of 64% votes. A total of 53 invalid votes were there. Droupadi Murmu got a total of 2824 votes of the value of 6,76,803 & Yashwant Sinha got a total of 1877 votes of the value of 3,80,177," said PC Mody, Rajya Sabha Secy-Gen & Returning Officer for Presidential polls as reported by news agency ANI.

In the election held on Monday for the 15th President of the country, many party leaders cross-voted. Several MLAs from the opposition camp have claimed to have voted for Murmu. 

Despite of all its efforts Congress couldn't prevent its MLAs from cross-voting in the presidential poll. MLAs in Odisha and Telangana went against the party line to help Murmu.

Congress MLA in Odisha Mohammed Moquim himself informed the media about this after casting his vote. "I have listened to my conscience which guided me to do something for the soil and I voted for her though I am a Congress MLA and it is my personal decision."

In the Presidential poll, no whip is given and the voters have the right to choose.

Congress MLA Danasari Anasuya Seethakka, who was rumoured to have decided in favor of the NDA applicant later explained that she has not voted for the wrong candidate but one supported by the party and she only had an issue with the ballot paper.

Now the party is trying to identify such MLAs whose cross-voting has come to light.

Along with Congress MLAs, its allies like the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) too drifted away as they voted for Murmu.

As per the Election Commission, out of a total of 771 Members of Parliament entitled to vote (5 vacant) and similarly out of a total of 4025 Members of the Legislative Assemblies entitled to vote (6 vacant and 2 disqualified), over 99% cast their votes. However, 100% voting by MLAs was reported from Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Sikkim, Mizoram and Tamil Nadu.

(With IANS inputs)