NEW DELHI-The electoral college numbers seem to be stacked in favour of NDA’s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind and he may well end up getting more votes than incumbent President Pranab Mukherjee and his predecessor Pratibha Patil. With Shiv Sena joining other NDA allies in backing Kovind and Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal, the YSR Congress and Telangana’s ruling TRS too extending support, the 71-year-old...
dalit leader is expected to have a smooth sailing in the event of an election. BJP may also seek the support of rival factions of AIADMK or DMK — parties dominating Tamil Nadu. The total strength of the electoral college which votes to elect the President comprises all elected MPs and members of legislative assemblies of all states and UTs of Delhi and Puducherry. The total comes to 10,98,903 votes with each MP carrying a vote value of 708. The vote weight of an MLA depends on the population of the state he or she represents.
A candidate needs 50 per cent plus votes to win the poll. Halfway mark comes to 5,49,452. The NDA, led by the BJP, has 5,37,683 votes and this is including the Shiv Sena, and the shortage is around 12,000 votes. But the promised support from the BJD, the TRS and the YSR Congress and likely backing from the AIADMK could offset the shorfall of the presidential votes by a substantial margin.
The voting is through a secret ballot, and party whip does not apply. In the 2012 elections, Pranab Mukherjee garnered 7,13,763 votes while Pratibha Patil secured 6,38,116 votes in the previous polls in 2007. Both Mukherjee and Patil were Congress nominees.
Dark Horse
Playing the Dalit card,the BJP on Jun 19 threw a surprise by nominating Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind as the DNA choice for the President post,stunning the opposition which accused the ruling party of unilateralism.
BJP President Amit Shah announced the name of Kovind after a nearly two-hour meeting of the BJP parliamentary board attend by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others,ending all suspense about the NDA’s candidature for the top constitutional post.
Though the main opposition parties did not criticize Kovind,who emerged as dark horse,they kept their cards close to the chest on whether they would back him. Barring the TRS and the BJD which expressed support to Kovind,all other non-BJP parties accused the rulling party of unilateralism. On his part,the soft-spoken Kovind said he would appeal to all political parties and members of the electoral college to back him. Modi said Kovind would make an “exceptional” President and called him a strong voice for the poor and the marginalized communities. “With his illustrious background in the legal arena,Kovind’s knowledge and understanding of the Constitution will benefit the nation.”
Second Dalit
If elected,Kovind will be the second Dalit President after K.R. Narayanan. A former head of the BJP Dalit wing and two-time Rajya Sabha member,the low-key Kovind,who hails from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh,became the Bihar Governor after Modi stormed to power in May 2014. BSP chief Mayawati,a Dalit leader herself,said Kovind cannot be opposition fielded a popular Dalit nominee.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called on Kovind immediately after Shah’s announcement. He said he congratulated Kovind on his nomination. “I am personally glad he is the presidential candidate.
Shiv Sena
Vitually snubbed by the ruling National democratic alliance over its candidate Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sang chief Mohan Bhagwat for the post of President,the Shiv Sena had earlier suggested the name of agro-scientist M.S. Swaminathan for the top job.
“If we want to make India a ‘Hindu Rasthra,’then Bhagwat is our first choice,first preference.But if anybody has objections to him,then Swaminathan should be made President,”Thackeray told media persons.
In fact, on at least two previous occasions,the Sena had jolted the DNA by supporting Congress nominees-former President Pratibha Patil in 2009 and later current President Pranab Mukherjee in 2012. Swaminathan,91,decorated with the Padma Vibhushan ,is acknowledged globally as “The Father of Green Revolution” of the 1960s,which catapulted the world’s second-most populated country to self-sufficency in food. Currently,he is Emeritus Chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation,based in Chennai,which he founded in 1987. Swamunathan was ranked by Time magazine among 20 Most Influential Asians of the 20th century,along with Mahatma Gandhi and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
A candidate needs 50 per cent plus votes to win the poll. Halfway mark comes to 5,49,452. The NDA, led by the BJP, has 5,37,683 votes and this is including the Shiv Sena, and the shortage is around 12,000 votes. But the promised support from the BJD, the TRS and the YSR Congress and likely backing from the AIADMK could offset the shorfall of the presidential votes by a substantial margin.
The voting is through a secret ballot, and party whip does not apply. In the 2012 elections, Pranab Mukherjee garnered 7,13,763 votes while Pratibha Patil secured 6,38,116 votes in the previous polls in 2007. Both Mukherjee and Patil were Congress nominees.
Dark Horse
Playing the Dalit card,the BJP on Jun 19 threw a surprise by nominating Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind as the DNA choice for the President post,stunning the opposition which accused the ruling party of unilateralism.
BJP President Amit Shah announced the name of Kovind after a nearly two-hour meeting of the BJP parliamentary board attend by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others,ending all suspense about the NDA’s candidature for the top constitutional post.
Though the main opposition parties did not criticize Kovind,who emerged as dark horse,they kept their cards close to the chest on whether they would back him. Barring the TRS and the BJD which expressed support to Kovind,all other non-BJP parties accused the rulling party of unilateralism. On his part,the soft-spoken Kovind said he would appeal to all political parties and members of the electoral college to back him. Modi said Kovind would make an “exceptional” President and called him a strong voice for the poor and the marginalized communities. “With his illustrious background in the legal arena,Kovind’s knowledge and understanding of the Constitution will benefit the nation.”
Second Dalit
If elected,Kovind will be the second Dalit President after K.R. Narayanan. A former head of the BJP Dalit wing and two-time Rajya Sabha member,the low-key Kovind,who hails from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh,became the Bihar Governor after Modi stormed to power in May 2014. BSP chief Mayawati,a Dalit leader herself,said Kovind cannot be opposition fielded a popular Dalit nominee.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called on Kovind immediately after Shah’s announcement. He said he congratulated Kovind on his nomination. “I am personally glad he is the presidential candidate.
Shiv Sena
Vitually snubbed by the ruling National democratic alliance over its candidate Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sang chief Mohan Bhagwat for the post of President,the Shiv Sena had earlier suggested the name of agro-scientist M.S. Swaminathan for the top job.
“If we want to make India a ‘Hindu Rasthra,’then Bhagwat is our first choice,first preference.But if anybody has objections to him,then Swaminathan should be made President,”Thackeray told media persons.
In fact, on at least two previous occasions,the Sena had jolted the DNA by supporting Congress nominees-former President Pratibha Patil in 2009 and later current President Pranab Mukherjee in 2012. Swaminathan,91,decorated with the Padma Vibhushan ,is acknowledged globally as “The Father of Green Revolution” of the 1960s,which catapulted the world’s second-most populated country to self-sufficency in food. Currently,he is Emeritus Chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation,based in Chennai,which he founded in 1987. Swamunathan was ranked by Time magazine among 20 Most Influential Asians of the 20th century,along with Mahatma Gandhi and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
RSS Feed
