BJP MLAs vote Cong in RS elections, get suspended -Governance Now

BJP MLAs vote Cong in RS elections, get suspended

MLAs suspended for defying party whip, BJP to wait for their disqualification as members of the

PTI | March 26, 2010

Defying party whip, four BJP MLAs today voted for two Congress candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls in Assam leading to their suspension.

The BJP MLAs told reporters after casting their ballots that they had voted for the two Congress candidates Silvious Condpan and Nazneen Farooq.

Opposition AGP, BJP, and AUDF fielded one combined candidate - Jayanta Barua, owner of a vernacular daily.

Karticksena Sinha (Patharkhandi), Rumi Nath (Barkhola), Sambhu Sigh Malla (Ratabari-SC) and Abhijit Hazarika (Rangapara) said they voted against Barua as they were not consulted about his candidature. They said they did not know him and wanted a different candidate.

BJP national general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad told newsmen that the four MLAs were suspended and formalities for their disqualification from the assembly would be filed before Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai.

"We will ask the Speaker to take immediate action against the four...We will also ask the returning officer and the Election Commission observer not to count the votes of the four MLAs for the sake of democracy," he said.

The disqualification would be sought under the 10th schedule of Constitution for defying the party whip.

"We are not expelling the four as we want them to be disqualified as MLAs. They are like saleable goods," Prasad said.

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