Left Front to discuss RS cross voting

Kolkata, Mar 29 (UNI) The ruling Left Front in West Bengal is expected to discuss shortly the cross voting in yesterday's Rajya Sabha elections that helped the Trinamool Congress candidate get additional votes.

Left Front Committee Chairman Biman Bose today said he had asked Front Chief Whip in the State Assembly Rabin Deb to submit written note on the whole affair before taking up the issue with the concerned partner.

Two Legislators of the West Bengal Socialist Party (WBSP), a partner of the Front, had voted for Mr Mukul Roy, the candidate of the Opposition Trinamool Congress.

Mr Roy was elected to the Rajya Sabha along with four Left candidates having polled the highest number of 56 votes as against the party's strength of 53 in the House. The third additional vote he got came from an expelled member of the CPI(M).

The Front, on the other hand, had to depend on second preference vote to get elected Dr Barun Mukhejee of the Forward Bloc, who secured only 46 first preference ballots, two short of the required number.

To a question as to whether the CPI(M) would look into how two of its MLAs cast invalid votes, Mr Bose said it was nothing beyond technical mistake on the part of the Legislators.

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