Odisha Congress MLAs to vote for Yashwant Sinha in presidential poll

BHUBANESWAR: The nine MLAs of state Congress, including two scheduled tribe legislators, will vote for the UPA presidential nominee Yashwant Sinha.
The state Congress made clear its stand a day after veteran Jatni MLA Suresh Rautray had left the party red-faced after batting for NDA presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.
Rautray, who has often caused embarrassment for the party by speaking against its state leadership, created a flutter on Saturday by saying that he would urge Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to support Murmu, a tribal leader from Mayurbhanj district.After being pulled up by the party, Rautray made a volte-face on Sunday and said he would vote for Sinha.
“I will toe our party line and support Sinha,” Rautray told journalists on Sunday. He avoided questions on why he changed his stand.
Asked whether Rautray’s earlier remark had created schism in the party, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Sarat Pattanayak replied in the negative. “There are no fissures in our party. We are united. We all are proud of Droupadi Murmu’s candidature as she is an Odia. But she has been fielded by the BJP whereas our party has nominated Yashwant Sinha. We (Congress) should and will support Sinha,” Pattanayak said.
Congress MLAs C S Raazen Ekka (Rajgangpur) and Dasarathi Gomango (Mohana), who are STs, said they would also vote for Sinha. Asked whether their voting against Murmu would be considered anti-tribal and whether it would affect their tribal vote bank in Odisha, both said they would abide by the party’s whip.