Agartala: At least two MLAs of the ruling BJP in Tripura cross-voted against NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu on July 18.

According to reports, BJP has initiated an internal inquiry into cross-voting in the presidential election.

However, nobody in the party was ready to react to the issue. A couple of BJP leaders declined to comment saying that party President Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha has been in isolation following Covidi9 infection and he is the authorised person to make comment on it.

According to election results, NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu got 41 votes while opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha obtained 18 votes from Tripura.

The ruling BJP-IPFT has 44 MLAs in the state assembly, CPI-M has 15 and Congress has one MLA.
One MLA of IPFT didn’t take part in the voting, as he resigned from the party and joined royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman last year and tendered his resignation.

“Since 59 MLAs have voted in the election, Droupadi Murmu is supposed to get 43 votes and 16 for the opposition candidate. But the result indicated Yashwant Sinha got 18 votes and Murmu got 41, which clearly shows two ruling party MLAs defy the party decision. The matter will certainly be investigated,” a BJP leader told a news agency.

The ruling BJP in Tripura has been suffering from infighting for the last three years.

In September last year, BJP MLA from Surma Ashis Das switched over to Trinamool Congress and in February this year, two more BJP MLAs — Sudip Roybarman and Ashis Kumar Saha resigned from the party and assembly as well accusing BJP leadership for patronizing dictatorship of Biplab Kumar Deb and joined Congress.

However, ahead of by-elections to the vacant seats in May this year, BJP had suddenly changed Biplab Kumar Deb as CM and Dr Manik Saha was sworn but it failed to douse the fire of dissidence.

The party faced a double crisis ahead of the next assembly elections, as four and half year’s rule of the BJP neither satisfied the voters nor the party workers.