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| Tuesday,
July 16, 2002, Chandigarh, India   
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MPs brave heat to vote
New Delhi, July 15 The polling, which began on a brisk note at 10 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m., was marked by some dramatic and lighter moments too. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan, who accompanied the NDA nominee Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, to the polling venue, was the first one to cast his votes. CPM MP Nilotpal Basu, who represents Left Front candidate Capt Lakshmi Sahgal was the second member to cast his ballot. Subsequently, Mr Vajpayee, accompanied by Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, casted his votes followed by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, Law Minister Jana Krishnamurthi Health Minister Shatrughan Sinha and others. Soon after casting his vote, Mr Vajpayee went up to Dr Kalam and shook hands with him and posed for photograph. Left Front candidate Captain Lakshmi Sahgal did not make an appearance at the polling venue. Polling began on a brisk note at 10 a.m. with a stream of MPs lining the first floor corridor of Parliament House to exercise their franchise. Out of the 748 MPs, who were to vote here today, three members from the Rajya Sabha and 10 members of the Lok Sabha did not vote, Mr Tripathi told newspersons soon after the polling concluded. Of the total 774 electors in both the Houses of Parliament, the Election Commission had permitted 26 MPs — six from the Rajya Sabha and 20 from the Lok Sabha — to exercise their franchise in different state capitals. The Commission had also permitted five MLAs (one each from Himachal Pradesh, Orissa and Punjab and two from Kerala) to cast their vote in the Parliament House and all five MLAs cast their vote, he informed. The day-long polling, which went off smoothly, was marked by some drama. A last minute change of mind on the venue of voting robbed the CPM MP from West Bengal Laxman Chandra Seth of his chance to vote in the Presidential poll. He could not vote as his name did not figure in the electoral list. Mr Seth had earlier sought permission to exercise his franchise from Kolkata, which was granted to him, but decided at the last minute to vote in Delhi since Parliament was in session. But to his dismay, the Lok Sabha member found his name missing from the electoral list. Mr Tripathi told newspersons that since the member had opted for a particular venue, his ballot paper had been sent there and he could vote only there. The intense heat in the Capital had its impact on one of the Congress MPs, who queued up early to cast his vote. A.F. Golam Osmani from Assam felt giddy and fainted after he cast his vote and had to be rushed to the nearby Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Mr Golam had cast his vote and was leaving the Parliament House when he fainted at the main entrance.  |
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MLAs vote for President Chandigarh, July 15 Mr Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, a member of the Rajya Sabha, also polled his vote at the Punjab Assembly. He had got permission from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat in Delhi to do so. Seven Akali MLAs — Mr Surjit Singh Rakhra, Mr Sadhu Singh Brar, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, Mr Mantar Singh Brar, Mr Tota Singh, Mr Gurdeep Nakai and Mr Zora Singh Bhagike did not cast their votes. Mr Tota Singh is in judicial custody, Mr Mantar Singh is abroad while Mr Zora Singh is bed-ridden, according to information available here. Mr Parminder Singh Dhindsa, an Akali MLA from Punjab, polled his vote in Delhi. While the Congress and Akali MLAs have supported Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, two CPI legislators and five Independent MLAs have supported Ms Lakshmi Sahgal. Out of 90 MLAs of Haryana, 86 cast their vote in the presidential election here. While all Congress MLAs exercised their right to franchise, three MLAs of the ruling INLD and one BJP MLA did not turn up. Mrs Veena Chhibber of the BJP and Mr Jasbir Malour of the INLD, both from Ambala district, have still not returned from the foreign tour. The Cooperation Minister, Mr Kartar Singh Badhana, and Mr Moola Ram of the INLD were reportedly unwell. The first to cast his vote was the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bhajan Lal. The Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, cast his vote after the HVP President, Mr Bansi Lal, had exercised his right to franchise.
SHIMLA: As many as 64 out of 66 members of the Himachal Vidhan Sabha cast their votes in the Presidential election today. While 63 legislators cast their votes here, Mr G.S. Bali, a Congress legislator, cast his vote in Delhi where he is undergoing treatment. Mr Virender Gautam, another Congress legislator, who is hospitalised in Delhi, could not cast his vote. Mr Sukh Ram of the Himachal Vikas Congress also failed to turn up for polling. There are 68 seats in the state Assembly but at present there are only 66 members. The two vacancies have been caused due to the death of the Congress leaders Mr J.B.L. Khachi and Mr Ram Lal Thakur. The value of the vote is 51. The ballet box was sealed in the presence of Ms Asha Murthi, an observer appointed by the Election Commission of
India. SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, led the elected members of the state Legislative Assembly in casting their votes for the presidential election here. Out of a total of 81 active members, 78 cast their votes for the presidential election which started at 10 a.m. and concluded at 5 p.m. amid tight security arrangements in the Assembly lobby. The state Assembly comprises 89 members, including two nominated members. Of the 87 members having right to vote for the presidential election, there are six vacant seats due to the death of five members and one member elected to the Lok Sabha. The polling process concluded under the supervision of the Central observer, Mr Jose and Assistant Returning Officer, Mr Mohammad Iqbal Ganai, who is the Secretary of the Legislative Assembly. Among those who cast their votes included the Speaker, Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil, and most of the members of the Council of Ministers. The Industries Minister, Dr Mustafa Kamal, was the first among the ministers to cast his vote. |
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