'₹15-20cr spent': TMC alleges votes bought during VP election
What's the story
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has alleged that a huge amount of money was spent to influence votes in the recent Vice Presidential elections. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee claimed that "₹15-20 crore was reportedly spent" on each representative to sway their votes. The allegations come after National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate CP Radhakrishnan won the election with 452 first preference votes against opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy, who got 300 votes.
Vote controversy
Fingers pointed at AAP
"Since this was a secret ballot, it's difficult to say whether cross-voting took place or whether the Opposition members' votes were discarded. Even if I accept that there was cross-voting, there are certain parties like the AAP, from which a woman MP (Swati Maliwal) openly supports the BJP and speaks against Arvind Kejriwal. There are two to four such MPs," he said. The NDA candidate received 14 more votes than expected, leading to speculation of cross-voting from the Opposition camp.
Numbers
'Living in a fool's paradise'
He further claimed that he spoke with several people and learned that they spent ₹15-20 crore on each MP to buy votes. "There have been so many instances in which, with the muscle of money, MLAs have been bought and sold and governments have collapsed," he said, alluding to the BJP's notorious 'Operation Lotus.' "If they think the people's mandate can be bought or sold like commodities in a market, they are living in a fool's paradise," he added.
Party response
AAP dismisses cross-voting allegations
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has dismissed the allegations of cross-voting. AAP MP Sandeep Pathak said most of their MPs voted for Reddy except one (Maliwal). "We activated our sources Tuesday evening, after the result, and have reason to believe that 27 Opposition MPs voted for the NDA candidate and as many as 12 BJP MPs voted for the Opposition candidate," he told The Indian Express. The Congress is reportedly looking into these allegations to find out which MPs cross-voted.
Support claim
BJP leader claims nearly 35 Opposition MPs voted for Radhakrishnan
Earlier, BJP leader Hardeep Singh Puri claimed that nearly 35 Opposition MPs voted for Radhakrishnan. Other NDA leaders had also claimed there was cross-voting in favor of Radhakrishnan by opposition lawmakers from several states, including Jharkhand and Maharashtra, where Radhakrishnan served as governor. The oath-taking ceremony for Radhakrishnan will be held on September 12 at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi, where President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath of office.