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MLAs vote in Presidential poll

Special Correspondent

Legislators finish the process by noon

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

VOTE CAST: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy leaving the booth after exercising his franchise in the Presidential election in Puducherry on Thursday.

Puducherry: All the 30 legislators of the Territorial Assembly exercised their franchise in the Presidential poll in Puducherry on Thursday. Pattali Makkal Katchi Member of Parliament M. Ramadoss exercised his franchise, as he had given his option to vote in Puducherry. The Committee room on the Assembly premises was the venue for the poll.

Elaborate security arrangements had been made for the poll. Even though, the polling time was between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., it was over by noon as all the 30 MLAs (Congress (10), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (7), Pattali Makkal Katchi (2) Communist Party of India (1), Independents, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Puducherry Munnetra Congress (3 each) and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (one) turning up in quick succession to cast their votes.

Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Speaker R. Radhakrishnan, Deputy Speaker A.V. Sreedharan, and CPI legislator R. Viswanathan were among those who came early. Independents J. Narayanasamy, A. Elumalai and A. Marimuthu came together in a private vehicle. The AIADMK MLAs and the lone MDMK member were star attraction as their participation in the exercise was a suspense till they turned up at 11.50 a.m.

Observer of the Election Commission Sanjeev Kaushal (Joint Secretary to Union Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry), Chief Electoral Officer of Puducherry S. Kumaraswamy and Assistant Returning Officers M. Sivaprakasam and N. Ramachandran were present inside the booth, besides the polling agents A. Namassivayam (Congress) and M. Visweswararan (Bharatiya Janata Party).

Presspersons were bereft of place on the premises of the Assembly.

They had to make futile appeals to the authorities for communication facilities. Reporters and photographers faced difficulty.

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