Presidential poll-Cross voting likely in opposition rank

The opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh are likely to witness cross voting in Monday's polling for the post for President.

According to the sources some legislators of Samajwadi Party (SP) and also of the BSP are likely to support the NDA presidential nominee Ramnath Kovind. While the division in the SP is quite clear, it is not visible in the BSP rank.
 
SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav and his father and SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav have taken diametrically opposite stand on the issue of presidential polls. Both Mulayam and his younger brother and senior SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav have indicated that they would support Kovind. Akhilesh, however, has declared that he will back the opposition's nominee Meira Kumar.
 
Shivpal claimed that several SP MLAs were with him but did not reveal the exact number. Sources, however, said that around half a dozen SP legislators my ditch Akhilesh. SP has 47 members in the UP assembly.
 
Sources said that barring Mulayam all the other four SP Lok Sabha members belonged to the Akhilesh camp and were likely to heed the latter's advice on the issue.
 
The situation is somewhat different in the SP group in the Rajya Sabha. While expelled SP leader Amar Singh is likely to go by the advice of Mulayam, a few more RS members may also ditch Akhilesh. SP currently has five members in Lok Sabha and 19 in the Rajya Sabha.
 
BJP sources here claimed that a few BSP MLAs were also in touch with the saffron party and could vote for its nominee in the polls. Though the BJP also claimed support of some Congress MLAs, the state Congress leaders rejected such a possibility.
 
Both Kovind and Meira Kumar had campaigned in the state and met their supporters and sought their votes in the polls.