In Assam, Congress, Ex-Ally Exchange Tit-For-Tat Cross-Voting Allegations
NDTV
An MLA of the AIDUF has brought cross-voting allegations against no less than 20 Congress MLAs. The leader of the Opposition, Congress's Debabrata Saikia, hit back, claiming he was "not certain if all opposition parties in the state assembly" supported the opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
The Opposition unity once again took a hit today during the voting for presidential election in the Assam. The two main opposition parties -- the Congress and the AIUDF -- accused each other of cross-voting. An MLA of the AIDUF has brought cross-voting allegations against no less than 20 Congress MLAs. The leader of the Opposition, Congress's Debabrata Saikia, hit back, claiming he was "not certain if all opposition parties in the state assembly" supported the opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
"I am confident about the Congress MLAs, the CPM MLA and Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi -- that all these votes have gone in favour of opposition candidate," said Mt Saikia.
"But I cannot comment about AIUDF MLAs and their votes, since their party chief is saying something and another MLA is saying something else. So it is difficult to say about AIUDF," he added, hinting at possible "cross-voting" by AIUDF.
Yesterday, AIUDF chief and Lok Sabha MP Badaruddin Ajmal said: "We have 15 MLAs, of whom two are absent since they have gone for Haj. The rest, all 13, have voted".
