As the voting preferences of legislators was predetermined, decided already by leaderships of the parties concerned, the polling for the election of the next President of India held here on Monday provided an opportunity to the legislators of all parties to meet their colleagues after the budget session held in March, apart from casting their votes.
The MLAs of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), including some Ministers, came to the Assembly in three TSRTC air-conditioned buses from the party headquarters, Telangana Bhavan, while other Ministers, and legislators of other parties, came for the polling in their vehicles. Exchange of pleasantries by the legislators of different parties was seen as soon as they arrived in at the Assembly.
It was the TRS and Congress legislators who cast their votes before the MLAs of other parties completed the process. The legislators of TRS and Congress went inside the Assembly buildings in different groups to cast their votes while those of MIM and BJP went as one group each.
The TRS and TDP leaderships have extended their support to BJP-led NDA candidate for the President’s post, while the CPI(M), having only one member in the Assembly, announced its support to the Congress-led UPA candidate. The MIM also supported the UPA candidate.
Although the official strength of the TRS is 82, practically the ruling party has 90 members as seven Congress and one CPI legislators switched loyalties to TRS, even as they are shown among their respective parties' numbers officially. The Congress, which has 19 members officially, has 13 MLAs practically after 7 of its members joined TRS and one independent MLA, a rebel candidate of Congress in the 2014 elections, joining forces with the Opposition party.
Most of the legislators were seen discussing the prospects of the two contestants for the President's post, the polling going on in other States and the issue of election to the Vice-President's post for which Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu's name was in the news, although the name was announced officially by BJP in the night.
TRS legislator from Alair G. Sunitha Reddy was seen distributing invitations for her son's wedding.
