6 Tripura Trinamool MLAs defy party line in Presidential poll

KOLKATA:Six Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs in Tripura have decided to defy party line and not vote for Meira Kumar, the Presidential candidate for non-BJP political parties.

“We have decided not to vote for Meira Kumar as she is the Congress candidate enjoying support from the CPM. We want to oust CPM from power in Tripura during next year's Assembly elections and it would not be possible for us to vote for a candidate who is enjoying CPM's support,“ Sudip Roy Barman, leader of TMC legislative party in Tripura told ET on Sunday.

He confirmed that his party has informed BJP National Secretary Ram Madhav that they were not going to vote for Kumar, which will certainly elate BJP leadership in the region.

There is no doubt that the decision will embarrass Mamata Banerjee and her party, as the Trinamool supremo has decided to vote for Kumar to re-establish her anti-BJP stance.

Kumar is coming to Kolkata on July 4 to meet political parties including CPM, TMC and the Congress, who are supporting her candidature against the BJP nominee Ramnath Kovind.

It is not yet confirmed whether Mamata will ask her Tripura MLAs to change their decision and vote for Kumar. However, since this is the Presidential elections, no political party can issue whips asking their MLAs and MPs to vote for a particular candidate.

The convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance and BJP chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma had urged TMC MLAs of Tripura to vote for Kovind.