BJP expels eight MPs after trust vote loss

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesdayt expelled eight of its Lok Sabha MPs for voting for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or abstaining during the parliament trust vote, and BJP leader L.K. Advani alleged that the government would have lost the battle but for cross-voting.

The expelled MPs are Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Somabhai Patel, K. Manjunath and H.T. Sangliana (for cross-voting) as well as Manorama Madhwaraj, Chandrabhan Singh, Harising Rathod and Babubhai Katara (for abstaining), BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters after a meeting of party leaders.

The United Progressive Alliance government won a confidence motion by 19 votes Tuesday night, a result that stunned the opposition before the number of opposition MPs who cross-voted in violation of the party whip or stayed away became known.

"I am in a position to say that this cross-voting, if that had not taken place, then yesterday evening the UPA would not have won," said Advani.