Cross voting: RLD petitions speaker to disqualify 3 of its MLAs

Lucknow, Feb 19 (UNI) Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) today moved a petition before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker seeking disqualification of three of its MLAs, who had voted in favour of the Mulayam Singh Yadav government last month during the trust vote.

The petition was moved on behalf of leader of the RLD legislature party Kokab Hamid this afternoon before Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey. The petition claimed the trio -- Prem Singh Daroga, Ganga Prasad Pushkar and Samarpal -- had indulged in cross-voting in favour of the Samajwadi Party government on January 25, 2007 despite a party whip.

The Mulayam government had decided to seek a trust vote after RLD withdrew itself from the ruling dispensation in January over cane prices. Earlier, RLD had withdrawn its ministers and later withdrew the support from the dispensation. RLD has 14 MLAs in legislative assembly and was a major ally of the ruling dispensation.

On Saturday, BJP too had petitioned the speaker seeking disqualification of 10 of its MLAs, who had voted in favour of the SP government.

UNI