'Certain Parties Like AAP...': Abhishek Banerjee's Jab In Veep Cross-Voting Row

Claims and counterclaims - that opposition MPs cross-voted in the vice-presidential election, in which the BJP's CP Radhakrishnan eased to victory - gathered steam Wednesday evening after Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee pointed a finger at the Aam Aadmi Party.

Mr Banerjee did not name anyone but referred to a woman MP from AAP who "openly supports the BJP and speaks against Arvind Kejriwal". He also said at least four others had broken the opposition INDIA bloc's unspoken directive - to vote for retired Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy.

And then he went further and claimed the BJP offered opposition MPs Rs 20 crore each to vote for Mr Radhakrishnan, who got 452 of the 752 valid votes cast by lawmakers from both Houses.

The AAP responded quickly.

Saurabh Bhardwaj told reporters, "The Election Commission knows who voted for whom... the Election Commission also holds press conferences. Let the EC hold one and say who voted for whom. If they have told BJP who cross-voted, the EC should tell the public also."

Abhishek Banerjee's Claim

"Yesterday was the vice-presidential election... you all saw the results," Mr Banerjee said. "On behalf of our MPs, all of whom were present, I can say all voted for our candidate, B Sudershan Reddy. Despite being unwell, Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Saugata Roy came and voted."

The Trinamool has 41 MPs - 28 in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha.

"Since this was a secret ballot vote, it is difficult to say if there was cross-voting or if opposition MPs' votes were discarded. If we accept there was cross-voting, there are certain parties like AAP, where a woman MP openly supports the BJP and speaks against Arvind Kejriwal."

Trinamool Congress second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee (File).

"There are two to four such MPs..." Mr Banerjee said, "And yesterday I spoke to a few people, and learned they (the BJP) spent Rs 15-20 crore on each person to buy votes. People elected as representatives are selling voters' trust. Representatives can be bought, but not the people."

Meanwhile, other opposition parties, such as the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party and Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal have all said their MPs voted for Justice Reddy.

Tamil Nadu's DMK has also insisted its MPs did as required.

Cross-Voting Clouds Rain On INDIA

Breathless analysis after Tuesday night's results confirmed the Vice President-elect picked up 14 more votes than he should have; the BJP-led ruling alliance began the day with 438 votes, including 11 from the non-aligned YSR Congress of ex-Andhra Chief Minister Jagan Reddy.

Also, the opposition candidate, Justice Reddy, got 15 fewer votes than he should have. The Congress-led INDIA bloc has 315 MPs in its ledger - apart from 12 with the AAP, which is no longer officially aligned with the group after arguments over seat-sharing for state polls.

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Fifteen votes were discarded as invalid, kicking up a separate storm.

Since we do not know whose votes were deemed 'invalid' (it is a secret ballot), the question of which 14 MP cross-voted (and whose were not counted) is becoming quite the political row.

The opposition's Veep nominee, retd. Supreme Court judge Justice Sudershan Reddy (File).

The Congress has insisted all 315 INDIA MPs voted.

"One theory," Mr Banerjee said, "could be that all opposition members voted... and 15 opposition votes were discarded. Then cross-voting could not have happened."

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But the math suggests that at least some opposition MPs did cross-vote.

Because even if we were to consider the non-aligned votes (of which 11 were already with the BJP) of independent MPs and those from other parties, these are either insufficient or, as in the case of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi from Telangana and the Biju Janata Dal from Odisha, their MPs abstained.

"But if you consider a 50:50 split (that discarded votes came evenly from the ruling alliance and the opposition bloc) then it may be five to seven MPs cross-voted," Mr Banerjee explained.

PM Modi congratulates CP Radhakrishnan after his vice-presidential poll win.

A delighted BJP has mocked the opposition for failing to secure at least the 315 votes from within its camp. Nishikant Dubey and Amit Malviya have both taken swipes at the INDIA bloc.

And, earlier today, the BJP's Kiren Rijiju gave 'special thanks' to the cross-voting MPs.

Why Cross-Voting Matters

Party whips are not applicable in vice-presidential elections. However, MPs are expected to vote on party line, which is why cross-voting is a matter of concern for the INDIA bloc, particularly before elections in Bihar later this year and in Bengal and Tamil Nadu next year.

Unity within the INDIA bloc has been a contentious issue ever since it was formed in July 2023 with the express purpose of uniting political parties not aligned with the BJP.

Factionalism has erupted frequently as bloc chief Congress tried, and failed, to reach seat-share deals with smaller allies, like the AAP, for elections in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat.

Meanwhile, in his first reaction to the defeat - a statement released minutes after the results - Justice Reddy said "I humbly accept this outcome with an abiding faith in the democratic process of our great republic". He also thanked opposition leaders for believing in him.

The winner, Mr Radhakrishnan, was congratulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "His life has always been devoted to serving society and empowering the poor and marginalised. I am confident he will be an outstanding VP, who will strengthen our Constitutional," the PM said.