Puducherry, July 18 (BPNS)

All the 30 MLAs and the lone Member of Parliament from the Union Territory of Puducherry voted after 12 pm on Monday for the President elections in the Territory.

According to belief on Monday, the inauspicious period of ‘Yamagandakalam’ is between 10.30 am to 12 pm and all the people’s representatives waited for this time to pass before entering the voting hall in the Legislative assembly compound.

AMH Nazeem of the DMK was the first to cast his vote in the President elections minutes after 12 pm and was followed by the opposition leader R. Siva of the DMK and other MLAs of the opposition. The lone Member of Parliament, V. Vaithalingam of the Congress also voted.

The ruling NDA members including 10 MLAs of All India NR Congress (AINRC) led by Chief Minister, N. Rangasamy, and Six BJP MLAs voted after the opposition members cast their votes. Speaker R. Selvam also cast his vote.

The six independent MLAs also cast their votes.

The lone Rajya Sabha MP from the Union Territory, S. Selvaganapathy of the BJP cast his vote in the parliament.

The ruling NDA has 10 AINRC and 6 BJP MLA while the opposition has 6 MLAs of the DMK and 2 of the Congress. There are six independents also in the Puducherry legislative assembly.

it is to be noted that Draupadi Murmu is the candidate of the NDA while opposition has fielded Yashwant Sinha as their candidate. The counting of votes will be held on July 21 and the new President will assume office on July 25 after the incumbent President, Ram Nath Kovind demits office on July 24.