Presidential Election 2022: Voting concludes, 98.90% turnout in Parliament; Cong, NCP MLAs cross vote

President Election 2022: Voting to elect the next President of India concludes. The counting of votes will take place at Parliament House on July 21 and the next President will take oath on July 25.

President Election 2022: Voting for the presidential poll ended on Monday with the 98.90 per cent of the electors permitted to vote in the parliament house exercising their franchise, Returning Officer PC Mody said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, MLAs, MPs and all eligible cast their votes at the parliament house. Voting also took place in state assemblies across the country. Going by the stand taken by various parties, NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is set to win the poll against joint Opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha. Briefing reporters after the voting, Returning Officer Mody said out of 736 electors comprising 727 MPs and nine MLAs permitted by the Election Commission to vote at the Parliament house, 728 (719 MPs and nine MLAs) cast their votes.

Earlier, the officer had said that six MPs did not cast their vote, but the figure was revised to eight after recompilation of the data. The ballot boxes used for Monday’s presidential election will start reaching the national capital from tonight and a majority of them would be at the Parliament House by Tuesday noon, officials said. The ballot box from the Delhi Legislative Assembly as well as those from at least four neighbouring states would reach the strong room of Parliament House tonight itself. An Election Commission functionary said the ballot boxes from state capitals which have direct early morning flights for Delhi would reach here by Tuesday noon.

Ballot boxes to start arriving in Delhi tonight

The ballot boxes used for Monday’s presidential election will start reaching the national capital from tonight and a majority of them would be at the Parliament House by Tuesday noon, officials said.

The ballot box from the Delhi Legislative Assembly as well as those from at least four neighbouring states would reach the strong room of Parliament House tonight itself.

An Election Commission functionary said the ballot boxes from state capitals which have direct early morning flights for Delhi would reach by Tuesday noon.

The ballot boxes from states which do not have direct flights will arrive by Tuesday evening. Ballot boxes from Himachal Pradesh are likely to return by road.

Congress could not stop its MLAs from cross voting
Despite all efforts the Congress could not stop its MLAs from cross voting in the presidential poll. MLAs in Odisha and Telangana went against the party line to support NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu.

Congress MLA in Odisha Mohammed Moquim himself informed the media about this after casting his vote. “I have listened to my conscience which guided me to do something for the soil and I voted for her though I am a Congress MLA and it is my personal decision.”

In the Presidential poll no whip is issued and the voters have the right to choose.

News Sources – India Tv News