Maharashtra BJP MLA Babanrao Lonikar on Monday objected to Congress legislator Nitin Raut not standing in a queue in the Vidhan Bhawan here to vote for the presidential election. Lonikar said he will appeal to the Election Commission to declare Raut’s vote as invalid.
Voting began at 10 am in the central hall of the Vidhan Bhawan for lawmakers to cast their votes to elect the country’s next president. The voting will continue till 5 pm. Speaking to reporters in the Vidhan Bhawan premises, Lonikar said Nitin Raut arrived in the central hall before voting began. “Instead of standing in the queue like us, he directly went inside to cast his vote. This is unacceptable. I am going to write to the Election Commission of India that his vote should be considered invalid,” Lonikar said.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre has fielded Droupadi Murmu for the country’s top constitutional post, while the opposition has nominated former Union minister Yashwant Sinha.
