New Delhi: Fearing cross-voting during the presidential elections on Monday, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee has asked her party MPs to cast their votes in Kolkata, sources told News18.
All but three party MPs, including Sugata Bose and KD Singh, will vote in Kolkata.
On July 1, all Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members of the TMC received an SMS, which said, "MPs will have to vote in Kolkata, and that they should fill up the form sent by the Election Commission stating their place of voting as such and hand over the form to Manik Da (Mamata's Secretary and trusted aide) positively by 4th July (sic)."
"She distrusts us so much that she ensured we sent filled-out forms to her office. Thereafter, all these were sent to the Election Commission," a TMC MP told News18 on condition of anonymity.
TMC MP from Rajya Sabha Sukhendu Shekhar Roy personally carried all the signed forms to the Election Commission in the national capital.
NDA presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind travelled across the country, seeking the support of MLAs, and the BJP is hoping that some fence-sitters would cross-vote in what is a secret ballot where parties cannot issue a whip.
Sources also said that there will be a meeting before the MPs go to the Assembly to cast their votes in Kolkata.
In another text that MPs received on July 10, they were informed of "the protocol to be followed at the meeting scheduled for 1.30pm in Chief Minister's chamber before the voting".
"We won't be surprised if she forces us to show the ballot, too," said a party MP, who is travelling to Kolkata to cast his vote.
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