The Narendra Modi government in Gujarat fears that more than 15 BJP MLAs may have defied a warning of stern action by the chief minister, to vote against  official NDA candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat during the presidential poll on Thursday.

BJP sources claimed that as many as 15 BJP MLAs from Gujarat may have voted against Shekhawat, in a bid to send across a message to the party high command that ignoring the anti-Modi forces could harm the party's prospects during the Gujarat Assembly polls later during the year.  With the two day monsoon session of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, coinciding with the presidential elections, Modi used the BJP legislative party meeting held on Thursday morning before the voting to issue a stern warning to his MLAs.