The Hindu : New Delhi News : BJP suspends 3 MLAs for cross-voting

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BJP suspends 3 MLAs for cross-voting

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari has suspended three MLAs from the party — one each in Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa — for violating party discipline and cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections on Thursday.

A State-level inquiry is being held in the case of two MLAs from Rajasthan whose votes were found to be invalid. The party would try to establish whether it was done deliberately or a genuine mistake, a BJP spokesperson said here on Friday.

The suspended MLAs are Ram Chandra (Jharkhand), Banwari Lal (Bihar) and Bhimsen Chowdhary (Orissa).

Not bound by party whip

Although MLAs are not bound by the party whip in the Rajya Sabha elections in that they cannot be expelled under the anti-defection law, political parties expect them to vote for their candidates or for independents supported by them in accordance with the directions given.

With an open election system introduced by the Vajpayee-led government — after amending the law — every party knows exactly how its MLAs have voted. The BJP's take on this is that open voting has helped to curb money power in elections for the Upper House.

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