North Eastern States cast votes for Presidential poll
Source: The Sangai Express / Press Trust of India

Imphal, July 19 2012: Like in other parts of the country, North East today cast votes for the Presidential election.

Though one of the two contenders for the President post, PA Sangma is from the North Eastern States of Meghalaya, most of the voters today vote in favour of the UPA backed candidate, Pranab Mukherjee.

The legislators in Meghalaya today casted their votes in the Presidential election in a "brisk, peaceful and orderly" manner here today, officials said here.

In Meghalaya, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and Speaker Charles Pyngrope took a short walk up to the MLA hostel to cast their votes at 10 AM sharp and within 40 minutes 37 legislators completed to exercise their franchise.

Nimarson Momin of the UDP casted the last vote of the day at around 2 PM, CEO P Naik told PTI.

Of the 59 legislators, the only person to cast her vote outside the state was Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh.

She cast her vote in Delhi, he said.

The ruling coalition partner of the Congress, the UDP with 10 MLAs and the HS-PDP with 2 MLAs have announced their support to "tribal" candidate PA Sangma.

The Congress with 28 MLAs and four other independent MLAs have pledged their support to UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee.

The total vote value of legislators in the state in today's poll is 1,020 valuing the vote of each MLA at 17 while the value of votes of each of the three MPs is 708 .

125 MLAs vote in Assam:In Assam, a total of 125 of 126 MLAs cast their votes in the presidential polls today.

The only MLA who remained absent from the voting was Asom Gana Parishad's Sahidul Alam Choudhury, who is currently unwell.

Rajya Sabha MP and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhubaneshwar Kalita also voted in Guwahati.

CM Tarun Gogoi said UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee was sure to secure votes of at least 111 MLAs from the state.

"We are sure of votes from 111 MLAs for Mukherjee.

There will be no cross voting in favour of P A Sangma.

In fact, we expect more votes for Mukherjee," he told reporters after casting his ballot.

"Mukherjee has a long association with Assam.

He has a long and illustrious career and is best fitted for the President's post," he added.

Gogoi was the first to cast his vote this morning at the Assam state assembly complex.

Among the parties supporting Mukherjee in the state are Congress with 78 MLAs, All India United Democratic Front (18 MLAs), Bodoland Peoples' Front (12), Trinammol Congress (one) and two independents.

In Sangma's favour were AGP with 10 MLAs and the Bharatiya Janata Party with five.

"We have supported Sangma as he is a representative of the people of North East.

He has played a major role in the politics of the country," AGP chief Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said.

In tripura, CPI-M Politburo member and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar was one of the early voters at the Presidential polls in the assembly.

Polling began at 10:00 am in the Assembly, with legislators queueing up to cast their votes.

The 60-member Assembly has 49 MLAs belonging to the ruling Left Front, including 46 belonging to the CPI(M) .

Two partners of the Left Front, the CPI and RSP have abstained from voting.

The CPI has a lone MLA and RSP two MLAs.

The MPs from the state cast their votes in parliament in Delhi.

Tripura has 2 Lok Sabha MPs and a lone Rajya Sabha MP.

The opposition Congress has 10 MLAs and it's electoral partner, the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura one MLA.

The ruling CPI-M, opposition INPT are backing UPA Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee.

In Nagaland, all 60 members of the Nagaland Assembly today voted in the presidential elections.

The ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) which has 41 members, had already announced support for UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee.

Since the opposition is Congress which has the remaining 19 legislators, it is expected that the entire assembly voted for Mukherjee intead of BJP-backed nominee P A Sangma.

In Mizoram,all the 40 legislators of the Mizoram Assembly today exercised franchise in the Presidential polls, polling for which was held at a committee room inside the state Assembly Secretariat, official sources said.

While former chief minister Brig T Sailo was the first MLA to cast his vote, CM Lal Thanhawla, his cabinet colleagues and Assembly Speaker R Romawia were among those who cast their votes in the polls which began at 10 AM and ended at 5 PM, the sources said.

The officials said that the sealed ballot box would be kept inside a strong room in the Aizawl Treasury tonight before it would be brought to Delhi by flight tomorrow.

The value of the vote of each legislator in the state is eight and the total vote amounted to 320 .

While the ruling Congress party, which has 32 legislators supported UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee, opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) and the Mara Democratic Front (MDF) combine, the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) and the Zoram Nationalist party (ZNP) MLAs supported Independent candidate P A Sangma.

The MNF-MDF combine has four MLAs while the MPC and the ZNP have two legislators each.

Two Members of parliament C L Ruala Congress (Lok Sabha) and Lalhming Liana MNF (Rajya Sabha) reportedly cast their votes in Delhi.

(With inputs from PTI) .

Comment