Open defiance, abstentions -- both individually and as a group, cross-voting, last minute U-turns and sulking parties brought a dramatic element in the voting trends in one of the most bitterly fought Presidential elections.
The elections also saw four jailed MPs -- Shibu Soren, Mohd Shahabuddin, Babubhai Katara and Pappu Yadav -- not missing out on exercising their franchise but not before Shahabuddin threw tantrums and refused to be taken to Patna from Siwan jail by a jail van. Shahabuddin was later provided a car.
Various reasons were cited for abstentions by the smaller parties and individuals ranging from Centre not spelling out its stand on a separate Telengana state to UPA-Left nominee Pratibha Patil's controversial remarks on the 'pardah' system. One MLA cited inconsistency in his party's leadership.
Despite being in government, ruling parties in one state abstained. Mizo National Front and its coalition partner Mizoram Congress Party stayed away nursing a grouse against the Centre and NDA-backed independent candidate and Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekawat.
After the abstention announcement made by their leader Jayalalithaa last Saturday on behalf of the eight-party UNPA, AIADMK legislators' volte face raised the political heat.
Seeking to justify the voting by AIADMK MPs and MLAs, the party chief said this turn of events has occurred only because of the "extreme confusion" generated by Election Commission's "unwarranted and unnecessary" note on July 17 note and not due to any other reason.
In Gujarat, a rebel BJP MLA, who did not want to be identified, said about 15 MLAs voted for Patil to register their protest against Chief Minister Narendra Modi's style of functioning.
Rebel JD(S) leader M P Veerendra Kumar said his faction has voted for Patil despite the decision of the party leader H D Deve Gowda to abstain.
"We have decided to vote and today I voted for Patil. Our MLAs in Kerala and Karnataka have also voted for Patil," Kumar said.
Elsewhere, some Samajwadi legislators voted ignoring the call given by the party to abstain after the alliance of eight regional parties, also known as the Third Front, decided to abstain.
Five SP MLAs voted in Madhya Pradesh while another controversial MLA Atiq Ahmed from Uttar cast his vote in Delhi after stating that abstention was not the right step.
Two party legislators voted in Bihar saying they had not received any communication. They claimed they voted for Shekawat. Suspended SP MP Raj Babbar voted saying there is no justification for the party's decision.
In Andhra Pradesh, senior TDP MLA S V Subba Reddy defied his party's decision to abstain and voted while Telangana Rashtra Samithi and MIM stayed away.
Reddy is a known critic of the party chief N Chandrababu Naidu and hails from the faction-ridden Kurnool district.
The TRS, which has 26 MLAs and five MPs, had announced that it would stay away from the election in view of the UPA government's failure to spell out its stand on separate Telangana state.
But here too there were divisions. Nine TRS rebel MLAs defied the party's decision and cast their votes.
The MIM, which has five legislators and an MP, abstained to protest againstPatil's remarks on 'pardah' system.
In West Bengal,suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Sadhan Pande voted for Patil despite his party deciding to abstain.
Displaying his identity card before entering the assembly hall to vote, Pande said his party was suffering from inconsistency.
In Rajasthan, three INLD MLAs defied the party's abstention call and voted.
MNF president and Chief Minister Zoramthanga announced yesterday that his party and the MCP would abstain from voting to protest the Centre's decision to enact a constitutional amendment that is expected to deprive Christian minorities of their rights and privileges.
The MNF, which has 23 MLAs and two MPs, and the MCP, with two legislators, also refused to vote for Shekhawat for his "indifferent attitude" towards issues concerning the northeast.
One RJD MLA from Bihar R C Mahto was brought in ambulance from a city hospital to cast his vote in Delhi Vidhan Sabha.
Some legislators could not take part as they were away abroad or undergoing treatment in hospitals.
