Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 19 : CPI(M-L) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has vehemently denied allegations of cross-voting by his party's MLAs during the recent Rajya Sabha elections, terming the claims made by the Congress party as "highly objectionable and false."
Speaking to ANI, Bhattacharya expressed deep astonishment at the accusations, asserting that the party had strictly adhered to its commitment to support the Congress candidate.
"Yesterday, Rajya Sabha elections were held. It had been decided that our two MLAs would vote in favour of the Congress candidate; consequently, both our MLAs cast their votes for the Congress candidate. However, I am astonished that the Congress is levelling highly objectionable and false allegations against the CPI(M-L) MLAs, claiming that our members engaged in cross-voting. This is a false accusation against the CPI(M-L), intended to tarnish our image and create a completely erroneous impression regarding our MLAs.
He mentioned that a letter has been written to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, stating that the allegations are entirely incorrect.
Bhattacharya's remarks come amid political buzz over alleged cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand, which has triggered speculation within the INDIA bloc regarding coordination among its constituent parties.
Amid the controversy, Jharkhand Congress leader and Minister Irfan Ansari alleged that alliance partners had "betrayed" the coalition at a crucial moment, claiming that RJD and CPI(ML) were responsible for the setback.
"We believe RJD and CPI(ML) betrayed us. We fully supported Chief Minister Hemant Soren, yet they deceived us at the crucial moment. The BJP is swallowing regional parties across the country. By stabbing your allies in the back, you are making a grave mistake," he claimed.
However, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) National General Secretary Bhola Yadav also asserted that all four party MLAs had voted for the INDIA bloc candidate in the recent Jharkhand Rajya Sabha elections.
The BJP-led NDA has 24 MLAs, four short of the minimum of 28 first-preference votes required in the 81-member assembly to secure a berth in the Upper House of Parliament. The ruling INDIA bloc, including the JMM and the Congress, has 56 members.