All except one Maharashtra MLA vote in Presidential poll

As many as 287 of the total 288 legislators in Maharashtra and one BJP Rajya Sabha MP voted in the Presidential elections on Monday, an official said.

Kshitij H. Thakur, the Bahujan Vikas Agdhadi MLA from Nala Sopara in Palghar, is presently abroad and hence could not vote.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sanjay Kakade voted in Mumbai, while all other 48 Lok Sabha and 18 Rajya Sabha members cast their votes in New Delhi where the Parliament session got underway on Monday.

Earlier on Monday morning, polling began on a brisk note and continued throughout the day at the assembly building amid tight security.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, his Cabinet colleagues, senior BJP leader and former Minister Eknath Khadse, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Nationalist Congress Party leaders Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil were among those who cast their votes.

Besides, two NCP legislators, who are currently lodged in jail on corruption-related offences, were given special permission by the courts to exercise their franchise.

The contest is between National Democratic Alliance nominee Ram Nath Kovind and opposition candidate and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.

The results will be announced on July 20.

--IANS

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