Date:20/07/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/07/20/stories/2007072060101400.htm

National

15 AGP MLAs defy Goswami, vote in Presidential poll

Sushanta Talukdar

Nine party legislators, including AGP chief, abstain from voting

116 of 126 legislators of Assam cast their votes
A message to Goswami to quit AGP chief post: party insiders

Guwahati: In an open revolt against party president Brindaban Goswami, 15 legislators and a member of Parliament of the Opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) exercised their franchise in the Presidential poll towards the fag end of polling on Thursday.

Altogether 116 of the total 126 legislators of the Assam Assembly cast votes. The ruling Congress claimed that 90 voted for United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Pratibha Patil and 26 for National Democratic Alliance-backed independent candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

The rebel AGP MLAs led by Chief Whip Chandra Mohan Patowary, general secretary Phani Bhusan Choudhury and senior leaders Kamala Kalita, Prabin Gogoi and Pradip Hazarika defied Mr. Goswami and rushed to the Assembly central hall to vote with just an hour for polling to end. Nine AGP legislators, including Mr. Goswami, however, abstained from voting. The rebels claimed that some of these also expressed their desire to vote but could not do so as they were out of station.

Hectic activity

The AGP Legislature Party office on the Assembly premises witnessed hectic activity the moment television channels flashed the news that AIADMK legislators were voting. The rebel AGP legislators put pressure on Mr. Goswami and argued that if they abstained it would send a wrong message that they had extended support to Ms. Patil.

The AGP legislators were overheard saying that Mr. Goswami tried to convince them that he had spoken to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and that Mr. Naidu told him that the news about the AIADMK was misleading.

Asked for whom they had voted, Dr. Kamala Kalita said: “Definitely Mr. Shekhawat.”

The Congress, however, claimed that one of the AGP legislators had voted for Ms. Patil.

Responding to questions from reporters, Mr. Patowary said the legislators exercised their franchise as there was no whip barring anyone from voting. “It was clarified to every legislator that no whip had been issued to abstain from voting.”

He, however, declined to comment when asked whether the defiance of their party president’s wishes was a message to Mr. Goswami to leave the top post. Mr. Goswami could not be contacted for his comment.

AGP insiders described the action of the 15 legislators as a strong message to Mr. Goswami that he should give up the party chief post and make way for the return of the former party chief and twice Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.

Mr. Mahanta, the lone legislator of the breakaway party, AGP (Progressive), had already announced that the party would cast its vote in favour of Mr. Shekhawat to reaffirm the anti-Congress stand.