BJD, Congress, BJP in Odisha gear for tomorrow's prez poll

Of the 108 MLAs two have been suspended on the charge of anti-party activities following the failed coup attempt on May 29.

"Both the suspended MLAs have announced on their own that they will vote for P A Sangma. Therefore, there is no question of cross voting in the BJD," BJD Vice-President Damodar Rout said.

"All the BJD MLAs will vote for Sangma as decided by the party," another BJD vice-president and health minister Prasanna Acharya also said after the party legislators attended a meeting at the residence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Of the six legislators belonging to BJP which has announced its decision to vote for Sangma, one member has been suspended.

"I am sure that all our people will vote for Sangma," BJP state president Jual Oram.

AICC's Odisha in-charge Jagdish Tytler and OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik talked to all the 27 Congress MLAs in the state for voting for UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee. Two observers from AICC also met the party MLAs.

"We are not worried about cross voting. He (Naveen) should be worried as people in the BJD had recently revolted. Our MLAs are united," Tytler said.

Sangma is expected to get 116 votes -- 108 from BJD, six from BJP and two from Independent MLAs, while Pranab Mukherjee's vote share would be 27.

One CPI member would abstain from voting according to his party's decision. The vote of three other Independent MLAs was uncertain.