STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Will votes from Opposition MLAs help NDA-projected presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu, as had happened in case of the ruling regime's candidate during the last Rajya Sabha poll in Assam? This question arises as State BJP president Bhabesh Kalita has dropped such a hint.
Kalita said that NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu would get votes from the Opposition MLAs.
Cross-voting in the Opposition camp led to a blame game between Congress and AIUDF after the last Rajya Sabha results in the State.
Be that as it may, political pundits consider 82 votes of the ruling alliance and the BPF (Bodoland People's Front) in the 126-member Assam Assembly as sure shots for NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu.
The party-wise strength in the State Assembly is that the ruling alliance and BPF have 82 votes - BJP-63, AGP-9, UPPL-7 and BPF-3 (it supports the Government). In the Opposition camp, Congress has 27, followed by AIUDF with 15 and the CPI with 1. The House also has an Independent MLA, taking the total Opposition .
Unlike the Rajya Sabha poll, political parties do not issue any party whip in the presidential poll. In Rajya Sabha polls, authorized party agents can see the candidate their MLAs have voted for. However, the rules of the presidential election do not allow this practice.
Based on population, the value of the vote of an Assam MLA is 116.
According to official sources, a team from the Assam Legislative Assembly Secretariat will leave for the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on July 11 and bring a ballot box and other necessary papers on July 12.
Meanwhile, following the election rule, the ALA Secretariat has already collected two ballot boxes from the office of the Kamrup (M) Deputy Commissioner. If the need arises, the two assistant returning officers can use the two ballot boxes after being thoroughly checked by the poll agents of the parties. The Election Commission of India appointed two ALA Secretariat officers as assistant returning officers for the presidential poll.
According to ALA Secretariat sources, as of today, only Congress MLA Bharat Chandra Narah has applied for allowing him to cast his vote in the Secretariat of the Rajya Sabha.
Draupadi Murmu arrived in Guwahati last night. Tomorrow she will address the MLAs and MPs of the ruling alliance.
This Presidential poll is a straight fight between NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu and combined Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha. The election is on July 18, and the counting of votes is not on July 21.
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