New Delhi, July 22: The unity of Opposition parties proved to be a distant dream as several of their MPs and MLAs from across the states cross voted in favour of Droupadi Murmu.
The results have exposed fissures within the Opposition as many politicians defied the stated position of their parties in electing the 15th President of India.
The massive victory achieved by Droupadi Murmu undermined the possibility of a larger political front forming against the Modi government in the future.
The counting of votes suggested that as many as 17 MPs and around 120 MLAs across various state assemblies cross voted in favour of Murmu.
The states where maximum number of MLAs cross voted have been- Assam (22), Madhya Pradesh (19), Maharashtra (16), Uttar Pradesh (12), Gujarat (10), Jharkhand (10), Bihar and Chhattisgarh (6 each), Rajasthan (5) and Goa (4).
Many non-NDA parties also extended support to Murmu primarily for two reasons- first due to her tribal identity and second the winnability factor associated with her from the beginning.
