The legislators from both the houses of Parliament are casting their votes for the presidential polls that were set be conducted from 10 am to 5 pm on July 17. While Ram Nath Kovind is NDA’s presidential candidate, the opposition has fielded Meira Kumar against him. However, there is nor confirmation regarding Bharatiya Janata Party’s Vice President candidate, it is being speculated that Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has emerged as the frontrunner for the post, IANS reported.
According to a report in IANS, the Bharatiya Janata Party Parliamentary Board will make the final decision about their Vice Presidential candidate in a meeting that will be held on Monday. Sources close to IANS confirmed that Naidu’s name has been finalised for the post of Vice President. The board is also considering Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao’s name for the Vice President’s post. The opposition parties have chosen former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi as its Vice President candidate.
The election for the Vice President’s post will be conducted on August 5. The last date for filing nomination papers for the vice-presidential election is July 18. Vice President Hamid Ansari’s term is all set to end on August 10.
Even though the counting of the votes will be held on July 20, initial reports suggest that Ram Nath Kovind has emerged as the clear winner. While Kovind has the backing of NDA and some of the regional parties, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has asserted that Aam Aadmi Party is supporting Meira Kumar. This time the EC has come up with new ways of conducting the presidential polls.
For smooth voting, 32 polling stations have been established by the Election Commission – one in Parliament House and rest one each in the State legislative assemblies. They are using special pens with violent ink for voting in presidential polls 2017.
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