Artists paint portraits of presidential candidates Droupadi Murmu and Yashwant Sinha, on the eve of presidential elections, in Mumbai on July 17. (PTI Photo)
New Delhi, July 17 (PTI): Nearly 4,800 elected MPs and MLAs will vote on July 18 to elect the 15th President of India, with National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Droupadi Murmu having a clear edge over the Opposition’s Yashwant Sinha as over 60% of 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 the Bharatiya Janata Dal (BJD), Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal Secular (JD(S)), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Shiv Sena and now Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (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 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 the 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.
