Seven Tripura legislators vote for Kovind

A rebel Congress legislator and six sacked Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs on Monday voted for NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

"As per our previous announcement, we the six MLAs have cast our votes in favour of Ram Nath Kovind," Sudip Roy Barman, leader of the six axed TMC legislators told the media immediately after casting the votes for the presidential poll.

Congress MLA Ratan Lal Nath also according to his earlier declaration voted for Kovind.

"I believe Kovind is a fit Presidential candidate. The nation would be secured if he is elected the President of India," Nath told IANS after casting his vote at the Tripura Assembly lobby.

The 50 members of the CPI-M-led Left Front, including Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, senior ministers including Health Minister Badal Choudhury, Tribal Welfare Minister Aghore Debbarma, Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty, Power and Transport Minister Manik Dey cast their votes in the presidential poll.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer Debashish Modak told IANS: "Tripura Assembly Speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath cast his vote in the West Bengal Assembly and three Tripura Parliament members (two Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha) cast their votes in Parliament House in Delhi."

Debnath, who is under medical treatment in Kolkata, is a member of the Tripura Assembly from the CPI-M.

--IANS

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