Mulayam Singh first 'votes' for PA Sangma, then votes for Pranab Mukherjee

NEW DELHI: BJP presidential candidate P A Sangma's polling agent Satya Pal Jain on Thursday wrote to the returning officer requesting him for cancellation of vote cast by Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav during the polls here at Parliament House.

The Samajwadi Party MP first marked his vote in favour of Sangma. Realising his mistake, Mulayam immediately tore the ballot paper and cast his vote again in a second ballot paper in favour of UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee.

Jain - a former BJP MP - who claimed to have witnessed the entire episode as Sangma's polling agent wrote: "I had brought it to your notice as well as to the notice of the observers of the Election Commission. Now, I am bringing this to your notice in writing also".

Demanding cancellation of vote cast by Mulayam Singh Yadav, Jain in his letter to secretary general of the Rajya Sabha V K Agnihotri - who is the returning officer of the presidential election --- said: "In view of the facts stated above, I would request you to kindly cancel the vote cast by Mulayam Singh Yadav on the second ballot paper and instead count the first ballot paper as his genuine vote".

He further said :" On my request you had agreed to keep the first ballot paper in a sealed cover".