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Cross-voting among BJP dissidents feared in Gujarat: Modi threat ignored

Manas Dasgupta

Party leadership says 15 members might have voted for Pratibha Patil

GANDHINAGAR: Large-scale cross-voting, particularly by dissident ruling Bharatiya Janata Party members, was apprehended in Gujarat where polling for the Presidential elections ended briskly within the first two hours after booths opened on Thursday morning.

All 182 members of the Gujarat Assembly as well as a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha from the State, Suryakant Acharya, cast their votes at the Assembly precincts here and the process ended even before the House began its brief two-day monsoon session at 12 noon.

While three ruling party members, including Ramilaben Desai currently under suspension from the party, told mediapersons that they voted for the United Progressive Alliance nominee, four other dissident BJP members neither confirmed nor denied having cross-voted in favour of Pratibha Patil. But the party leadership apprehended that at least 15 ruling party members in the State might have voted against the NDA nominee, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, in favour of Ms. Patil.

In the Congress camp, at least one Congress member, Nimaben Acharya, who stands suspended because of her close links with the BJP, may also have cross-voted against the UPA nominee.

Dhirubhai Gajera, one of the most vocal dissident members who had earlier announced his decision to vote for Ms. Patil only to “teach a lesson” to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, his “political mentor” L.K. Advani, and the central party in-charge, Om Mathur, said he had voted “as per his conscience” to embarrass Mr. Modi. Ms. Ramilaben Desai said as a woman she felt it was her duty to support a woman candidate.

Contrary to the general apprehension, the other suspended BJP member, Sidhhartha Parmar, said he had toed the party line to vote for Mr. Shekhawat because the dissident leader and former Chief Minister, Keshubhai Patel, wanted him to do so. He said though it was supposed to be a secret ballot, he was making his choice public because of the apprehension in the dissident camp that Mr. Modi and Mr. Advani themselves might “encourage” cross-voting among their loyalists and put the “blame” on Mr. Patel only to “defame and discredit” him in the party.

While the State leadership was still assessing the damage the Presidential elections had caused to party discipline, sources said it would approach the Central leadership to consider taking disciplinary action against those who publicly acknowledged disregarding the party line. Though under election rules, no party whip could be issued in the Presidential election, the members were expected to vote for the party’s own candidates and not the one sponsored by the opponents.

The large-scale cross-voting among the ruling party members took place despite the veiled threat by Mr. Modi earlier in the morning advising all the MLAs to toe the party line. Speaking at the legislature party meeting just before polling began, Mr. Modi reportedly told the members that anyone cross-voting in favour of the UPA would be “caught” since those “managing” the booths were all State Government employees.

The legislature party meeting was attended by all barring the four known dissident members including Gajera, Baukubhai Unghad, Balubhai Tanti and Bechardas Bhadani.

Mr. Bhadani, who created a flutter in the BJP camp on Wednesday by calling on the fasting Congress leader, Arjun Modhvadia, has been issued a show cause notice for his open charges against Mr. Modi.

Inside the House, the opening day’s sitting of the two-day monsoon session was adjourned for the day after adopting condolence resolutions to mourn the deaths of the former Prime Minister, Chandra Shekhar, and the former Speaker, Natwarlal Shah.

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