Murmu receives unexpected vote from Kerala; BJP terms it 'positive vote'
Thiruvananthapuram(PTI): The recently held presidential election and the historic victory of Droupadi Murmu are likely to create political ripples in Kerala as the NDA candidate received an unexpected vote from the southern state.
When results of the much-awaited poll was announced in New Delhi on Thursday, Murmu was found to have received one vote from Kerala.
As there is no BJP legislator in the 140-member state Assembly, it was generally expected that the entire votes would be polled to opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha.
The CPI (M)-led ruling LDF and the Congress-headed UDF opposition front had announced their support to Sinha. The question being raised by political observers now is whether the vote polled to the NDA candidate was by a mistake or a deliberate one.
The BJP state unit already came out expressing happiness over the unexpected single vote to the NDA candidate.
"The single vote which Droupadi Murmu got from Kerala has more value than the rest of 139 votes polled," BJP state president K Surendran said.
He also termed the vote received by Murmu as a "positive vote" against the negative stand being taken up by the Left and right fronts in the state.
Murmu scripted history on Thursday by becoming the country's first tribal President, defeating Opposition candidate Sinha in a one-sided contest.
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DMK seeks separate seating in Lok Sabha after split with Congress alliance
New Delhi: Kanimozhi Karunanidhi has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking a separate seating arrangement for Members of Parliament belonging to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) following the end of the party’s alliance with the Indian National Congress.
In a letter dated May 7 addressed to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Kanimozhi said the changed political situation made it inappropriate for DMK MPs to continue sitting alongside Congress members in the House.
She requested the Speaker to make “suitable changes” in the seating arrangement of the DMK Parliamentary Party and allot separate seating for its MPs.
“In view of the changed political circumstances and as our alliance with the Indian National Congress has come to an end, it may not be appropriate for our Members to continue occupying the present seating arrangement alongside them in the House,” the letter stated.
Kanimozhi further said separate seating would help DMK members effectively discharge their responsibilities in the Lok Sabha.
