Ludhiana: Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali did not vote in Monday's presidential polls in protest against the “unresolved” issues related to Punjab. He added that he was not consulted by his party leadership before deciding to back NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has three legislators in the 117-member Punjab Assembly. NDA's candidate Droupadi Murmu is pitted against joint opposition pick Yashwant Sinha. With this announcement, Ayali went against his own party. In a video message, Ayali said he was boycotting the polls at his own level. Ayali alleged the previous Congress-led regime at the Centre "always discriminated" against Punjab.
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He said there was a huge expectation from the BJP but “our issues remain unresolved”. Not allocating Punjabi-speaking areas to the state, not ceding Chandigarh to Punjab, and non-resolution of river water disputes were the issues that Ayali highlighted. On the other hand, indicating that he had supported the NDA candidate, Kuldeep Bishnoi, who cast his vote in Delhi, said, “Like Rajya Sabha, I have cast my vote in this election too as per my conscience”.
When reporters asked him about his future course of action, Bishnoi replied, “I will reveal this soon.” Speaking to reporters after casting his vote, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said he was sure of Murmu’s victory. “We will attend the oath-taking ceremony on July 25… From Haryana, we will get more votes than we have accounted for in her favour,” Khattar said.
