Naveen Patnaik: No probability of cross voting in president polls

Bhubaneswar, Jul 14 Rejecting opposition Congress claim, BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today precluded plausibility of cross-voting in the up and coming presidential elections on July 17.

"I don't think so by any stretch of the imagination," Patnaik told reporters while answering an inquiry on the possibility of the cross-voting in the presidential polls.

After a meeting between the BJD MLAs/MPs with NDA presidential competitor Ram Nath Kovind, Patnaik stated: "My gathering is supporting Ram Nath Kovind as the presidential applicant. Today, we had a meeting of BJD MLAs and MPs. We asked for all MLAs, MPs of the gathering to help for Ram Nath Kovind."

The Congress boss whip Taraprasad Bahinipati had before asserted that many BJD and BJP MLAs will cross vote for Meira Kumar, the opposition candidate for the presidential elections.