Opposition refrains from voting

Defying the official party stand, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA from Kurnool, SV Subba Reddy, along with another legislator who was suspended from the party, cast their votes in today's Presidential election while four parties, including the TDP, abstained from voting.

A total number of 67 MLAs "� 43 from TDP, 16 from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), 5 from Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), and a lone legislator from CPI(ML) "� did not vote owing to the stand taken by their respective parties.

The remaining 229 legislators of the 294-member Andhra Pradesh legislative Assembly cast their votes.

With the parties opposing the UPA candidate choosing to stay away from the election, polling almost became a one-sided affair in favour of Pratibha Patil's candidature.

In all, 186 MLAs from Congress, 6 from CPI, 9 from CPM, 10 independent, 10 rebel TRS MLAs, one Samajwadi Party, two Janata Party, one BSP, two BJP apart from the two TDP MLAs voted.

Besides, three Congress MPs also voted from Hyderabad.