5 Union Ministers Boycott Poll

Five Union ministers SR Bommai, R Jalappa, Jainarain Nishad, Kanti Singh and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh stayed away from the Janata Dal presidential election yesterday. The poll was boycotted by the supporters of Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav.

Of the total of around 1,200 national council members eligible to cast their votes, 600 exercised their franchise. The elections could not be held in Orissa, Himachal Pradesh and Pondicherry.

Prominent among those who cast their votes included presidential candidate Sharad Yadav, Prime Minister IK Gujral, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, Union ministers Ram Vilas Paswan, CM Ibrahim, Srikanta Jena, S Jaipal Reddy, MP Veerendra Kumar and Kamala Sinha.

While Gujral expressed the hope that split could still be avoided, Gowda and Sharad Yadav appealed to the party workers to put up a united show against communalism and work for strengthening the organisation. The impact of the boycott was most severe in the two Dal-ruled states, Karnataka and Bihar. While a majority of voters boycotted the election in these two states, the turnout was high in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, Assam.

The grand finale proved to be a damp squib in Patna, as of the total 146 national council members in Bihar, only 33 exercised their franchise. Laloo Yadav supporters, led by party MLA Shyam Rajak, attempted to disrupt the poll.

As many as 24 district presidents, six legislators and three MPs were among those who cast their vote. The district presidents who threw their weight behind Sharad Yadav mostly belonged to the Kosi belt including the districts of Madhepura, Sharad Yadavs own constituency, Khagaria, Supaul, Saharsa and Samastipur.

The state Janata Dal office on Race Course road in Bangalore city almost became a witness to a split in the party.

A band of workers carrying anti-Deve Gowda placards stood outside the party office shouting slogans for over two hours. In the midst of this anti-Deve Gowda mood, former prime minister Deve Gowdas two sons, H D Revanna and H D Kumaraswamy were busy overseeing the election process.

The members who arrived early at the party office to vote wanted to toe the official line of the party. ``This is the official elections of the party. We are hoping for a reconcialtion in the party at the national level. If we dont vote a president we are likely to become derecognised by the Supreme Court, said minsiter for law and parliamentary affairs, M C Nanaiah. Some of the members were dispirited and demorailsed by the party leaders antics. After all this tamasha is about ego. Jalappa is a very angry man and he is very impulsive, pointed out K H Srinivas, ex-minister and president of the Shimoga district and the newly appointed political secretary to CM J H Patel. However, the split in the party for the day was saved by the state Chief Minister J H Patel. He told mediapersons: It is not a statutory compulsion for the members to vote. But it is in the interest, unity and image of the party to vote.

Patel urged his partymen to behave in what he termed as the correct political behaviour.

46 national council members finally cast their votes. Out of the 67 national council members in the state, four members had informed the party office of not attending, while Tumkur party president was disqualified because he was a returning officer and Dakshina Kannada national council member resigned.

Of the 16 who abstained six were members of parliament. They were R L Jalappa, and MPs P Kodandaramaiah, Qamarul Islam, Roy Reddy, H Y Methi and Mandya MP A Siddarajau.