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Cross-voting fear stalks BJP, Cong

Last Updated 10 June 2012, 18:50 IST

The leaders of neither the BJP nor the Congress are sure of the victory of all their candidates in the elections to the Legislative Council to be held from the Assembly on Monday.

The two parties are apprehensive about cross-voting, though they claimed before the media that it would not happen.

There are 12 candidates for 11 seats in the Council. Polling will be held at the Vidhana Soudha from 9 am to 4 pm, and the results will be out by evening. A preferential mode of voting is adopted.

The most ‘wanted’ voters are the five Independents who were ministers in the Yeddyurappa cabinet. It is said they are supporting Byrathy Suresh, an Independent candidate. The efforts made by the Congress to muster the support of the independent MLAs did not yield the desired result.

Suresh himself wanted to contest as the Congress candidate. But former MLA M R Seetharam managed to get the ticket. The Congress has fielded Seetharam as the fourth candidate.

Both KPCC President Parameshwara and Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah told reporters that the Congress did request the five independents to vote for the Congress, but they did not get any assurance.

The Congress held its legislature party meeting on Sunday, did not issue a whip to its members. It will be meeting again hours before the polling. It may allot 19 votes to each of its four candidates.

There are a total of seven independents, including Minister Varthur Prakash and former minister B Sriramulu. The BJP cannot issue a whip to Prakash. The party is not sure of getting the votes of three of its MLAs from Bellary, who have openly identified themselves with Sriramulu.

The ruling BJP issued a whip to its members at the legislature party meeting held on Sunday evening at the party office. Another meeting is scheduled, before the commencement of polling.

For each of its six candidates, 20 MLAs have been asked to vote. The party has decided not to transfer any of its second preference votes as it is not in a position to rule out cross-voting by its members. The party has lost the vote of Nandish Reddy as his election to the Assembly has been annulled by the court.

Sriramulu not to vote

Meanwhile, Sriramulu told Deccan Herald that he was not going to exercise his franchise as he is taking out a padayatra. He was in Dobbespet on Sunday evening. “I do not want to break my padayatra,” he said.

Asked whether his associates and BJP MLAs Suresh Babu, Somashekar Reddy and Nagendra would also not vote. Sriramulu said, “They are with the BJP and they will vote for the party candidates.”

The BJP meeting was attended by Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda, former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, ministers Suresh Kumar, Shobha Karandlaje, Umesh Katti, among others.

State party president K S Eshwarappa was absent as he was in Shimoga to celebrate his birthday. The chief minister exuded confidence that all the six candidates of the party would win and there would be no cross-voting.

The responsibility of ensuring each candidate’s victory is entrusted to two ministers and one MLA, Gowda said.

The JD(S), which can easily win one seat, has decided to transfer its surplus votes to Byrathy Suresh.

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(Published 10 June 2012, 18:50 IST)

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