Breaking ranks with the newly formed United National Progressive Alliance’s unanimous decision to abstain from voting in the presidential election, All India Anna DMK legislators and members of Parliament voted in the presidential election on Thursday even as party General Secretary J Jayalalitha stayed away. Toeing the AIADMK line, its ally the MDMK also voted.

The last-minute turnaround was attributed in political circles to appeal by the BJP to the AIADMK to support its candidate and Vice-President B S Shekhawat. Tamil Nadu’s chief electoral officer Naresh Gupta told reporters that 59 of the 60 AIADMK MLAs cast their vote in the Assembly complex, the exception being Ms Jayalalitha herself. Of the six MDMK legislators, only two did not vote. The DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance, comprising the Congress, the two Left parties and the PMK, voted en masse for Congress nominee Pratiba Patil.  In a press release in the evening, Ms Jayalalitha blamed her party’s change of stand on the “extreme confusion” created by the Election Commission’s “unwarranted and unnecessary note” issued on July 17 that while MPs and MLAs could abstain from voting, no whip could be issued to them.

She said she was advised by lawyers that “convening a meeting of my party MPs and MLAs would be misinterpreted and misconstrued by the EC as an attempt to influence and intimidate them.” She was also advised that “I should not issue any statement ”. Therefore “I kept silent.’’

“Unable to comprehend the ramifications’’ of the commission’s note, the AIADMK MPs and MLAs discussed the matter among themselves and came to the conclusion that they would have to face undesirable consequences. So, by way of abundant caution they decided to vote.”

PREZ POLL BRIEFS
Just a normal poll for Rahul Gandhi
Even as many senior leaders made great efforts to reach Parliament House to cast vote for the Presidential polls on Thursday, for Congress “Youth Brigade” leader Rahul Gandhi it was just a “normal election”, reports UNI. The initial couple of hours witnessed brisk polling with a number of senior leaders such as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and a host of other politicians reaching the Room No 63 in Parliament House where the six polling booths were set up.

However, Mr Gandhi was among the last few to reach the venue. He avoided media but on persistent questioning about his experience in participating in the voting for the highest post of the Republic, he said, “I won’t say anything. It is a normal election. I just came and voted.”

Vajpayee arrives on wheelchairs
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Thursday reached the Parliament House on a wheelchair to cast his vote for electing the next President. Since wheelchairs can not pass the automatic security gates of the Parliament House, two wheelchairs were used to ensure that the senior BJP leader, who suffers from knee ailments, could reach the venue safely. He did not rule out the possibility of a consensus emerging on the candidate for the forthcoming Vice-Presidential elections.

Pappu comes from Tihar jail to vote
Lok Janshakti Party Pappu Yadav came from Tihar Jail to cast his vote in the elections for the highest constitutional post. The MP, who is facing murder charges, came to the Parliament House in a jail vehicle.
Another jailed MP Mohammad Shahabuddin would cast his vote in Patna. Both the MPs belong to Bihar.

8 MLAs vote in Parliament
Among the people casting vote in Parliament were eight MLAs from various states. Generally MPs cast their votes in Parliament and MLAs in their respective state assemblies. But these legislators could vote in Parliament after seeking permission from the Election Commission. About 58 MPs had also taken EC’s permission to vote in state assemblies. Mamta Banerjee and her party colleagues had sought permission to cast vote in Kolkata while Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi, who is an MP from Kerala, had sought permission to cast vote in Chennai. The MPs used green ballot papers while MLAs used pink ballots.