Vice-Presidential election: TMC's Abhishek Banerjee alleges Rs 20 crore vote-buying
Abhishek Banerjee has also hinted at cross-voting by a few AAP MPs. He condemned elected representatives for selling the trust and emotions of the people, stressing that while representatives can be bought, the people themselves cannot
TMC general secretary and parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday (September 10) made a serious insinuation that there could have been cross-voting by some Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members and horse trading during the recent Vice-Presidential election.
Addressing the media in Kolkata, Banerjee stated that since the election was conducted via secret ballot, it is difficult to confirm whether cross-voting took place or if some opposition members’ votes were discarded.
‘Possible cross-voting’
“However, in parties such as the AAP, a few MPs, around two to four, openly support the BJP and have spoken against their own leader Arvind Kejriwal,” he said, hinting at possible cross-voting.
All 41 of the party’s MPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including those like Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Saugata Roy who were unwell, were present and voted for the TMC-backed candidate B Sudershan Reddy, he asserted.
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He noted that since the passing of Nurul Islam, the party currently holds 28 seats in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha.
Alleges vote-buying
Banerjee further alleged widespread vote-buying in the election, claiming that Rs 15-20 crore were reportedly spent per candidate to secure votes. He condemned elected representatives for selling the trust and emotions of the people, stressing that while representatives can be bought, the people themselves cannot.
He also referenced BJP’s history of using money power in elections, citing examples from the 2021 Assembly polls as well as the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections, where MLAs were allegedly bought and sold, leading to government collapses.
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He further went on to allege that ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP tried to buy TMC polling agents by paying Rs 5,000 to some and Rs 10,000 to others. Despite this, he said, the people of Bengal voted decisively for the TMC, demonstrating that leaders can be bought but not the people.
No certainty because of secret ballot
Banerjee concluded by reiterating that BJP tried similar tactics again during the Vice-Presidential election, but given the secret ballot, everything remains speculative. One theory he suggested is that all opposition members voted, and if all 15 opposition votes were discarded, then cross-voting could not have happened.
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If there was a 50-50 split, then perhaps five to seven people might have crossed party lines, but much of this remains uncertain due to the confidential nature of the vote.
Meanwhile, state BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed that certain TMC MPs voted for the NDA candidate in the coveted elections.