Brisk polling was on Thursday reported from across the country in one of the most bitterly contested presidential elections, with the AIADMK and MDMK breaking ranks with their partners in the Third Front to participate in the polls.
NEW DELHI: Brisk polling was on Thursday reported from across the country in one of the most bitterly contested presidential elections, with the AIADMK and MDMK breaking ranks with their partners in the Third Front to participate in the polls.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were among the first to cast their votes in the election, in which UPA-Left nominee Pratibha Patil has a clear edge over NDA-backed independent Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
The newly formed United National Progressive Alliance or Third Front said it would abstain from voting, a decision announced by AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa here last week, but her party, a key member of the grouping, decided to participate in the election.
All 12 MPs of the AIADMK would vote, said one MP who did not want to be named. "We have taken a decision to vote against the Congress and our party is participating in the election," he said.
Two MPs of the MDMK, an ally of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, also cast their votes. However, the other UNPA constituents like the Samajwadi Party, TDP, AGP and INLD did not vote.
Polling began at 10 am in Parliament House and 30 capitals of states and union territories amidst tight security and strict vigil by the Election Commission, which issued a series of stringent instructions for voters.
Of the 4,896-strong electoral college, 776 are MPs and 4,120 are MLAs. The total vote value is over 10.98 lakh and the UPA claimed it would romp home with nearly six lakh votes to send its nominee Pratibha Patil to Raisina Hill.
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