India's next President to be elected today; NDA’s Droupadi Murmu has edge

Nearly 4,800 elected MPs and MLAs will vote on Monday to elect the 15th President of India, with National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Droupadi Murmu having a clear edge over opposition’s Yashwant Sinha. 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 between 10 am and 5 pm 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 the support of regional parties such as BJD, YSRCP, BSP, AIADMK, TDP, JD(S), Shiromani Akali Dal, Shiv Sena and now JMM, 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 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. If all votes are polled, Sinha, the joint opposition candidate, may get a maximum of 4.19 lakh.

NDA’s masterstroke

The BJP stumped the opponents by choosing Murmu, prompting some in the opposition like JMM and JD(S), who had pledged support to Sinha, to change their stand.

Also read: Margaret Alva is Opposition’s candidate for vice presidential polls

However, the opposition did not stand a chance right from the start as the NDA was only 9,000 votes short of the majority in the electoral college and it was sure that parties like YSR Congress and BJD would not go the other way.

For the opposition, the Presidential election unravelled the troubles within, as it initially wanted NCP supremo Sharad Pawar to fight the battle but he as well as National Conference patriarch Farooq Abdullah said no. Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson and former Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi also declined the Opposition invite, which prompted the Opposition to pick Sinha, who was Trinamool Congress’ choice.

The opposition wanted the Presidential poll to be an ideological one. Sinha said the contest is between two ideologies. “Only one side wants to protect the provisions and values enshrined in our Constitution,” he said. He also urged BJP lawmakers to vote for him as the BJP under AB Vajpayee and LK Advani is dead.

On Saturday, BJP president J P Nadda asked party lawmakers to ensure 100 per cent voting. Nadda also instructed the MPs to take care that no mistake is mistake is made while casting votes in the presidential and vice-presidential polls.

Voting by secret ballot

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.

The system of secret ballot is followed and parties cannot issue whip to their MPs and MLAs with regard to voting. The value of the vote of a member of Parliament has gone down to 700 from 708 in this presidential poll due to the absence of a legislative assembly in Jammu and Kashmir.

The value of vote of an MLA varies in different states. In Uttar Pradesh, the value of vote of each MLA stands at 208, followed by 176 in Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu. In Maharashtra, it is 175. In Sikkim, the value of vote per MLA is seven, while it is nine in Nagaland and eight in Mizoram.

Proportional representation

The election of the President is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote — every elector can mark as many preferences as there are candidates contesting the election. These preferences for the candidates are to be marked by the elector, by placing the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on, against the names of the candidates, in the order of preference, in the space provided in column 2 of the ballot paper.

This is the reason why electronic voting machines are not used in this as well as vice-presidential, Rajya Sabha and legislative council polls. The EVMs are based on a technology where they work as aggregator of votes in direct elections such as the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

Also read: Presidential polls: UP MLAs have maximum votes; Sikkim lowest

According to Election Commissions directions, while MPs will get a green-coloured ballot paper, the MLAs will get a pink ballot paper to cast vote. Separate colours help the returning officer ascertain the value of vote of each MLA and MP. Seeking to maintain secrecy of voting, the EC has issued a specially designed pen with violet ink to enable voters mark their ballot papers in the presidential poll.