Gehlot rules out possibility of cross voting for Shekhawat

Jaipur, July 18 (UNI) Congress General Secretary and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today ruled out possibility of cross voting in presidential polls in the state in favour of NDA nominee Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

Reacting over to the reported statement by Rajasthan PWD Minister Rajendra Singh Rathore over the possibility of 12 Congress MLAs' voting for Mr Shekhawat, Mr Gehlot said no Congress MLA would so do and the Congress votes were intact in favour of ruling UPA nominee Ms Pratibha Patil.

Mr Gehlot told reporters here tonight that Mr Rathore and the ruling BJP had lost its cool in view of Mr Shekhawat's certain defeat in the polls tomorrow.

He said the BJP which initially was aiming to secure votes for Mr Shekhawat from Congress and other non NDA parties was now worried to keep its own votes intact.

The former chief minister condemned the BJP leadership for resorting to ''indecent'' personal allegation campaign against UPA nominee Ms Patil and her family and said this was done intentionally, in a calculated manner, by a few top leaders of the saffron party to make stature and leadership of Mr Shekhawat controversial on the eve of his retirement from the post of Vice - President.

Mr Gehlot regretted the silence maintained by Mr Shekhawat towards ''shallow and indecent'' campaign in the election for the highest constitutional post of the country.

Mr Gehlot said Mr Shekhawat should have intervened in this matter and asked his campaigners toi stop this campaign.

Condemning the approach of BJP leaders like LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley for making Mr Shekhawat ''controversial national leader'' Mr Gehlot said instead the BJP should have let the vice- president retire in a graceful manner.

UNI