Presidential election 2022: Odisha Cong MLA votes for Droupadi Murmu, says 'listened to my heart'

"It is my personal decision as I have listened to my heart which guided me to do something for the soil and that is why I voted for her," Moquim said.

Published on: Jul 18, 2022, 16:19:46 IST

By HT News Desk

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Congress MLA Mohammed Moquim on Monday voted for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Droupadi Murmu in the ongoing presidential election. Talking to reporters outside the Odisha legislative assembly after casting his vote, the Barabati-Cuttack MLA said he listened to his heart while voting. "It is my personal decision as I have listened to my heart which guided me to do something for the soil and that is why I voted for her," Moquim said.

Moquim is not the only Congress MLA to have cross-voted in this election.

Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi did so for a second time in as many months; last month he voted against colleague Ajay Maken in Rajya Sabha elections. He too claimed to have listened to his conscience in deciding to vote for Murmu over his party's pick - Yashwant Sinha.

There have also been reports of Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh cross-voting, but this has been denied by the party.

Meanwhile, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA from Gujarat - Kandhal Jadeja - also said he had voted for Murmu, the former Jharkhand Governor. This too is against his party's position - the Sharad Pawar-led NCP had lent its support to Sinha.

In Assam, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya said it is 'clear' that the Congress is cross-voting. Barbhuiya claimed that at least 20 Congress MLAs in Assam had voted for Murmu and, as in Haryana, they had betrayed the party in RS polls too.

The president is elected by members of the electoral college - consisting of elected MPs and MLAs. Voting began at 10am and will continue till 5pm. Counting will take place on July 21.

The new president will be sworn in soon after, with the term of the incumbent - Ram Nath Kovind - expiring in six days.

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