260 MLAs, two MPs cast votes amid Trinamool abstention

Kolkata, Jul 19 (UNI) Altogether 260 Legislators and two MPs cast their votes in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly as the 13th Presidential election today passed off amid abstention of the Trinamool Congress and SUCI.

Even as the Trinamool Congress, the main Opposition in the state Assembly, stayed away from voting, dissident member Sadhan Pande exercised his franchise against the wishes of his party.

Announcing that all the votes were valid, Assistant Returning Officer and Presiding Officer J L Chakraborty told reporters that the actual strength of the House was reduced to 293 following the death of Dibakanta Raut, a CPI(M) MLA from Balagarh, while Congress member Mahbabul Haque and CPI(M) MLA Nanigopal Roy could not take part in the polling because of illness.

But for Mr Pande, all the 30 members of the Trinamool Congress and two of the SUCI abstained from polling.

Leader of the Opposition Partha Chatterjee later told reporters that the Trinamool Congress Legislature party decided to abstain as a mark of silent protest against President A P J Abdul Kalam not being considered by the NDA for a second term.

'' Our slogan is no Kalam, no vote, '' he said.

Of the 260 MLAs, who cast their votes, 233 were from the ruling Left Front, 20 from the Congress and three from Gorkha National Liberation Front(GNLF) besides two Independents and one Jharkhand Party(N) member.

CPI(M) Lok Sabha member Laxman Seth and Forward Bloc Rajya Sabha member Barun Mukherjee also opted to cast their votes in the state Assembly.

Mr Gyan Singh Sohanpal(Congress), the seniormost member of the House, cast the first vote, while Speaker Hashim Abdul Halim was the last voter.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and all his ministerial colleagues also exercised their franchise.

The Presiding Officer said the ballots would be kept in the strongroom before being sent for Delhi tomorrow.

UNI