New Delhi: Voting in the Presidential elections reached a break point on Thursday when cracks developed in the fledgling UNPA alliance.
Two members of the alliance – the AIADMK and the MDMK – defied the combine’s abstention decision and decided to participate in the Presidential voting.
However, AIADMK supremo rushed to some hasty damage control and said her party’s MLAs and MPs participated in the polling without her knowledge.
She instead blamed the Election Commission for creating "extreme confusion" by issuing a press note on July 17.
Even Vaiko's MDMK MLAs, who were supposed to stay away, voted, reportedly for NDA-backed Bhairon SIngh Shekhawat.
Two MDMK MLAs -- M Kannappan and Kambam N Ramakrishnan - all other members of the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly voted in the polling.
DMK patriarch and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was the first to cast his vote.
While AIDAMK has not officially announced their choice, party sources said their MLAs and MPs voted for Shekhawat.
News agency PTI reports Union Minister for Overseas Indians Vayalar Ravi, recuperating here after treatment at a city hospital, Congress MPs S R Karvendhan, K Rani and Dhanushkodi Aditan, rebel MDMK MPs Gingee N Ramachandran and L Ganesan were among the members of Parliament who cast their vote here.
JD (S) MP and industrialist M A M Ramasamy, who had also sought permission to exercise his franchise here, however, did not vote following his party's decision to abstain.
A total of 231 MLAs, belonging to DMK, AIADMK, Congress, PMK, CPI-M, CPI, DPI, DMDK and an independent, cast their votes in the election.
Other Third Front parties, the Samajwadi Party and Telugu Desam abstained.
But the Samajwadi Party MP Atiq Ahmed as well as three rebels - Munawwar Hasan, Raj Babbar and Beni Prasad Verma - voted in the polls.
Within the NDA, the National Conference and the Shiv Sena voted for Pratibha Patil.
(With PTI inputs)
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