M P Veerendra Kumar elected to Rajya Sabha

Thiruvananthapuram: Mr M.P. Veerendra Kumar, state president of the Janata Dal (United) Sharad Yadav faction, was on Friday elected to the Rajya Sabha from the state. Mr Kumar, who was supported by the LDF, polled 89 votes, and Mr B. Babu Prasad of the Congress, backed by the UDF, 40 votes. The election was held after the seat fell vacant following the resignation of Mr Veerendra Kumar from the Rajya Sabha in protest against JD (U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joining hands with the BJP-led NDA.

In the 140-member Assembly, the LDF has 90 MLAs and the UDF 41. One vote of the LDF-supported candidate was declared invalid, while UDF MLA T.A. Ahamed Kabeer could not vote due to ill-health. The Kerala Congress (Mani), which has six MLAs, abstained from voting. BJP's lone MLA O. Rajagopal and independent P.C. George also did not vote. Polling began at 9 a.m. and continued till 4 p.m. The counting of votes began at 5.45 p.m. as the UDF lodged a protest with the Election Commission that the CPI, JDS and NCP MLAs had not appointed polling agents.