By IANS,
New Delhi/Jammu: The Bharatiya Janata Party Wednesday suspended seven of its 11 legislators in Jammu and Kashmir for voting for the ruling National Conference-Congress coalition in the April 13 legislative council polls, party sources said.
The decision was taken at the meeting of BJP’s parliamentary board, presided over by party president Nitin Gadkari, the sources added.
The legislators have also been served show cause notices, and the case has been referred to BJP’s disciplinary committee.
The BJP had faced major embarrassment April 13, when the seven legislators violated the party whip and voted for the National Conference-Congress alliance candidates instead of party nominee Thakur Ranjit Singh.
The National Conference won three council seats, the Congress two and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party one. BJP candidate Ranjit Singh polled only four votes.
Earlier Wednesday, party sources said that the 11 BJP legislators, who were summoned by the party’s national leadership to Delhi, tendered an “unqualified apology” for the cross-voting and said it was their “first and last mistake”.