By IANS,
New Delhi : Seven opposition MPs – three from the Bharatiya Janata Party, two from the Telugu Desam Party, one each from the Janata Dal-Secular and Biju Janata Dal – voted in favour of the United Progressive Alliance during the trust vote, while five other opposition members abstained.
“Nobody has cross-voted but some people have supported our government,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said.
Congress party sources said Janata Dal-Secular MP K. Shivana Gouda Naik from Devadurga constituency voted in favour of the Manmohan Singh government, which won the vote of confidence with a handsome margin Tuesday evening.
Two of the BJP MPs who voted in favour of the government are from Karnataka. The name of one is Manjunath Kunnoor, the sources said. Sombhai Patel, BJP MP from Gujarat, voted for the government.
One TDP MP who voted for the government was M. Jagannath, the ministers said, adding that another TDP MP, D.K. Audikesavulu, may also have defied the party whip to vote against the confidence motion, but they were not sure.
TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu had reportedly been keeping a close watch on Audikesavulu throughout the parliament session.
Biju Janata Dal’s Harihar Swain also voted for the government, the ministers said. The BJD announced that action would be taken against him.
Manorama Madhuraj, a BJP MP from Karnataka, abstained from the vote, the ministers said. They were not sure if another Karnataka BJP MP, H.T. Sangliana, had also abstained, but they thought so.
The ministers said one MP each from the Shiv Sena, the Janata Dal United had also abstained, while Akali Dal MP Sukhdev Singh Libra was absent. So was JD-U MP from Lakshadweep P.P. Koya.
Kuldeep Bishnoi, suspended Congress MP from Haryana, voted against the government.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said that six MPs “were on leave”.