Presidential election

Guwahati, July 18: Presidential election: Voting begins in the Assam assembly for the election of India’s 15th President, Rural Development Minister Ranjit Das cast the first vote.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday voted in the Presidential election that began at 10 am today. MPs have also queued up in the parliament to cast their vote to elect the 15th President of India.

State MLAs, who are also part of the Electoral College, are casting their votes from their state assemblies.

Elections to choose the 15th President of India will be held on Monday — a contest between NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu and the Opposition’s Yashwant Sinha.

Nearly 4,800 elected MPs and MLAs across the country will cast their vote through secret ballot. Counting of votes will take place at Parliament House on July 21 and the next President will take oath on July 25.

NDA candidate Daruapadi Murmu is set for a comfortable win, which will make her the first tribal President of the country.

At 64 years old, she is also set to become the youngest President India has had so far. Murmu is expected to bag around 62 percent of the total votes as several regional parties have also announced their support for her candidature.

Also Read: Presidential elections 2022: All you want to know about today’s vote

The counting of votes will take place on July 21st and the new President will take oath on July 25th.

Former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha is the joint opposition against Murmu. A polling booth has been set up inside the Parliament premises where Members of Parliament will cast their votes. Rajya Sabha’s Secretary General is the Returning Officer for this election.

The President is elected by members of the Electoral College consisting of elected Members of Parliament and of all the state Assemblies, including the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Nominated Members of Parliament, state Assemblies, and Members of the Legislative Council are not eligible to vote. A total of 776 Members of Parliament and 4,033 MLAs will vote in the Presidential elections.

The Presidential election is being held today while the Vice Presidential election will be held on August 6.

The monsoon session of the parliament, which also begins today, will start at 11 am and will continue till August 12. There will be 18 sittings during the session.