The two candidates in the race for the Rashtrapati Bhavan, National Democratic Alliance‘s (NDA) presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu and Opposition’s joint pick Yashwant Sinha, will go head-to-head on Monday with more than 4,000 MPs and MLAs casting their votes to elect the 15th President of India.
Murmu, a former Jharkhand governor, has found support from several regional parties, with the numbers in clear favour of the NDA nominee. These parties include the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), Shiromani Akali Dal, Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), AIADMK, TDP, YSRCP and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
Sinha on the other hand is being backed by the Congress, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Trinamool Congress, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Akhilesh Yadav led-Samajwadi Party, National Conference, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Rashtriya Janata Dal and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is the latest to join the Opposition list.
The call for a joint opposition candidate for presidential polls was led by West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee. Sinha, a former Union minister and ex-IAS officer, was the fourth choice after the first three names, Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah and Gopalkrishna Gandhi opted out of the race.
Murmu’s victory will be marked by several firsts. She will be the first President born in Independent India. At 64, Murmu will also be the youngest occupant of Rashtrapati Bhavan, besides being the first tribal leader to hold the country’s top office, and the second woman President of India.
The voting will take place in Parliament House and legislative assemblies between 10am to 5pm. The system of secret ballot is followed and parties cannot issue whip to their MPs and MLAs with regard to voting.
In order to maintain secrecy of voting, the Election Commission has issued a specially designed pen with violet ink to enable voters to mark their ballot papers in the presidential poll.
According to the EC’s directions, while MPs will get a green-coloured ballot paper, MLAs will get a pink ballot paper to cast their vote. Separate colours help the returning officer ascertain the value of vote of each MLA and MP.
The results of elections for the President of India will be out on July 21. The term of President Ram Nath Kovind concludes on July 24.
