Pratibha maintaining comfortable lead over Shekhawat in Prez poll

New Delhi, July 21 (UNI) UPA-Left candidate Pratibha Patil secured an overwhelming majority of votes from alliance-ruled states as well as winning a thin majority in opposition-ruled Karnataka as counting of votes cast in the 13th Presidential election progressed at the Parliament House today.

However, her rival NDA-backed Independent candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat got a majority of votes from the NDA-ruled Bihar Chhattisgarh and Gujarat but came a vote behind in Karnataka where the BJP rules in a coalition with JD-S.

Mrs Patil has currently got 1089 votes from 14 state legislatures, having a total value of 1,31,431 while Mr Shekhawat has 518, with the value of 71,657.

She picked up 132 of the 137 votes cast in the 140-strong Kerala assembly, while her rival scored nil. The remaining ballots were invalid.

Ms Patil was just ahead in Karnataka with 83 votes to Mr Shekhawat's 82. Though the JD-S, a coalition partner of the BJP in the state, had announced its decision to abstain, several party legislators went ahead to vote.

In Jharkhand, the UPA candidate picked up 49 votes in the 81-member assembly, while Mr Shekhawat got 28. Here also there seemed to be cross-voting by the BJP MLAs, with at least five announcing, they would vote according to conscience, but declining to disclose their choice.

Ms Patil also kicked up a majority from Jammu and Kashmir, getting 77 votes against her rival's six. Two were invalid.

Himachal Pradesh also went according to the party line with Ms Patil getting 47 votes against Mr Shekhawat's 20.

In Bihar, where 236 of the 243 MLAs had voted, Mr Shekhawat picked up 145 while Ms Patil got 89. Two votes were invalid. The Independent candidate was ahead in Chhattisgarh too, getting 51 as against Mrs Patil's 37, while one vote was declared invalid. Gujarat also went his way, with 123 votes against her 57 with two invalid ballots.

However, there was cross-voting for the UPA candidate here. At least three BJP MLAs had publicly announced their intention of voting for Ms Patil on the day of the poll.

In Goa, Mrs Patil picked up 25 votes with the rest 14 going her rivals's way, and in Haryana got 70 against Mr Shekhawat's seven.

Mrs Patil had already picked up 223 of the 229 votes cast in the 294-strong Andhra Pradesh assembly, her rival two, while the remaining four were declared invalid. While the opposition Telugu Desam Party, a part of the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA), had decided to abstain, some party MLAs had cast their votes.

In Asom, Ms Patil got 92 votes, 20 came Mr Shekhawat's way while four were declared invalid. Here also UNPA constituent, Asom Gana Parishad, had decided to abstain but the party faced a virtual revolt after news of AIADMK legislators participating in the poll reached Guwahati. Most of the party MLAs went out to vote, defying party president Brindabon Goswami. The value of each vote is 116.

In Arunachal Pradesh, 59 of the 60 MLAs had voted. Ms Patil picked up 58 of these, indicating cross-voting among the BJP MLAs, who number eight. Mr Shekhawat just got one.The value of each vote is eight.

Ms Patil picked up 50 votes from the 70-member Delhi assembly, while Mr Shekhawat got 19.

UNI