Presidential polls: Cross voting in MP as Murmu got 146 votes, Sinha 79 votes

Other than 127 MLAs of BJP, two independent, one Samajwadi Party and two BSP MLAs supported Murmu, who received 146 votes

Updated on: Jul 22, 2022, 16:41:06 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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At least 12 Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh cross-voted in favour of NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu as UPA candidate Yashwant Sinha received only 79 votes, BJP leaders claimed on Friday.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan thanked all the MLAs other than the BJP who voted for Murmu.

Murmu was elected as 15th President of India.

Other than 127 MLAs of BJP, two independent, one Samajwadi Party and two BSP MLAs supported Murmu, who received 146 votes.

“Draupadi Murmu ji also received votes of MLAs other than BJP MLAs. I wanted to thank all MLAs who listened to their inner voice and voted for the first tribal woman”, the CM said.

Also Read: Presidential poll: Half of Jharkhand Congress MLAs may have cross voted for Murmu

BJP state spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said, “UPA candidate Yashwant Sinha received only 79 votes from MP while NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu received 146 votes. Five votes were declared invalid. There are 96 Congress MLAs in MP including Sachin Birla, who recently joined BJP. After the election, two independent MLAs claimed to have voted in favour of the UPA candidate. This shows that at least 16 to 18 Congress MLAs voted in favour of the NDA candidate. It showed that Congress MLAs were unhappy with the UPA candidate and wanted to be a part of the historic decision.”

Home minister Narottam Mishra said, “Kamal Nath tried to defame BJP by making a false accusation of luring MLAs and now MLAs listened to their inner voice and voted for Murmu. He has to resign.”

However, Congress leaders refused to comment on the issue.

Leader of opposition (LoP) in the state assembly and senior Congress MLA Govind Singh said, “We will analyse the reason for cross-voting only then we will able to say anything.”

However, before the election, 10 MLAs missed Congress party meetings organised in support of the UPA candidate. Congress state president Kamal Nath also accused BJP of luring tribal MLAs and offering ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore.

In MP, Congress has 28 tribal MLAs out of 47 reserved tribal seats.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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