National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu and Opposition’s pick Yashwant Sinha – the two candidates in the race for the Rashtrapati Bhavan will go head-to-head on Monday as more than 4,800 MPs and MLAs will cast their votes to elect the 15th President of India. Murmu has a clear edge over Sinha as over 60 per cent votes are expected to be cast in her favour.
The polling will take place in Parliament House and state legislative assemblies for which ballot boxes have already reached their destinations.
The counting of votes will take place at Parliament House on July 21 and the next President will take oath on July 25.
With several regional parties extending their support to Murmu, a former Jharkhand governor, the numbers are 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 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.
Murmu’s vote share is likely to reach nearly two-thirds and she is set to become the first woman from the tribal community to occupy the top constitutional post.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee now has over 6.67 lakh votes after the support of various regional parties, out of a total of 10,86,431 votes.
The electoral college which elects the president through the system of proportional representation comprises elected MPs and members of state legislative assemblies. Nominated MPs and MLAs, and members of legislative councils are not entitled to vote in this election.