80 of 81 Jharkhand MLAs cast vote in President’s poll 

 Murmu has clear edge as NCP candidate vote against party stand 

Ranchi, July 18: Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said polling for the presidential elections was held peacefully at the Vidhan Sabha. 

Voting for the presidential poll began at 10 am continued till 5 pm.

Eighty out of 81 voters exercised their franchise here.

BJP’s ailing Sindri MLA, Indrajeet Mahto could not cast his vote as he is undergoing treatment in hospital.

“Ballot boxes have been sealed in the presence of the Centrally deputed observer kept in the strong room. These will be sent to Delhi on July 19 and the counting would be held on July 21,” he said.

No MP from the state cast their votes here, Kumar stated, adding that the 20 parliamentarians exercised their voting at the Parliament in Delhi. 

Both NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu and joint opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha had visited Jharkhand to seek support.

The ruling JMM, which runs a coalition government in the state with the Congress and the RJD, had initially backed Sinha only to receive flak from the tribal community to which both Murmu and the party’s executive president and Chief Minister Hemant Soren belong.

The party then pledged support for the NDA nominee.

Soren said legislators of his party have voted in line with the decision taken.

“You are aware of the party’s decision. Legislators and parliamentarians have voted accordingly,” Soren told reporters.

JMM leader and state education minister Jagarnath Mahto said he followed his party’s directions while another MLA Nalin Soren asserted that he “listened to his heart”, without divulging any further detail.

As many as 28 legislators of the NDA, including two of the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) Party, reached the Assembly premises in a bus during the day to exercise their franchise.

The MLAs, under the leadership of former chief minister Babulal Marandi and AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto, showed victory signs, as some of them said they were elated over the fact that Murmu, a tribal woman, was set to get elevated to the top constitutional post in a first.

“NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu will get the support of at least 65 legislators in Jharkhand under any circumstance as many Congress legislators are also going to listen to their conscience and vote for her,” BJP MLA Biranchi Narayan claimed.

BJP legislators Anant Ojha and Bhanu Pratap Shahi were among the early ones to exercise franchise. While Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy was the last one to cast vote.

“I was the first one to vote to elect the first citizen. It is a matter of great pride for me,” Ojha said.

Shahi said, “We strongly believe Murmu will work for the betterment of the society including the poor, downtrodden and Dalits.” In the 81-member House, the ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance has a combined strength of 48, with the Shibu Soren-founded party alone having 30 seats in its kitty.

The BJP has 26 legislators including Babulal Marandi, the former JVM-P chief who joined the saffron camp after the 2019 assembly elections.

Vote value of each MP is 700 across the country.

MLAs in Jharkhand have a vote value of 176 each.

The JMM has three MPs in the state, the BJP 14, the Congress two and the AJSU Party one.

Murmu, having secured the support of the JMM, is expected to garner a score of 22,808 in the state and Sinha 4,392, with the backing of the Congress and the RJD.