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The Hindu
The Hindu
National
The Hindu Bureau

Presidential election updates | Voting concludes, total turnout at Parliament 98.90%

Voting for the presidential election in which NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is pitted against joint Opposition pick Yashwant Sinha concluded at 5 p.m. on July 18. Polling began at 10 a.m. and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to cast his vote.

The presidential poll has been conducted peacefully and cordially everywhere; the total turnout at Parliament is 99.18%, said Chief Returning Officer P.C. Mody.

According to the Returning Officer, out of 736 electors (727 MPs, nine MLAs) permitted by EC to vote in Parliament in the presidential poll, 730 (721 MPs, nine MLAs) votes.

Ballot boxes to arrive in Parliament from across country by this (July 18) evening. The boxes to reach Delhi via road and air; Assistant Returning Officers to accompany them.

Track all latest updates here

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How is Indian President elected?

Maharashtra

Ailing BJP MLA arrives on wheelchair to vote, two jailed NCP lawmakers skip poll

Ailing BJP MLA from Maharashtra’s Pune city Mukta Tilak travelled to Mumbai to take part in the Presidential poll and arrived at the election venue on a wheelchair to cast her vote.

Two MLAs of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik — could not vote because they are in jail under various charges, including money-laundering.

Ms. Tilak, a first-time MLA, has been unwell for a long time. However, despite her poor health, she travelled from Pune, around 200KM from Mumabi, and then arrived at the Central Hall in Vidhan Bhavan in south Mumbai on a wheelchair to cast her vote in the Presidential poll.

Mahendra Dalvi, a Shiv Sena MLA from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s camp, was not allowed to cast his vote by the Election Commission of India, a Vidhan Bhavan official said. PTI

Jharkhand

Both Ms. Murmu, Mr. Sinha have deep-rooted connection with Jharkhand

BJP legislators Anant Ojha and Bhanu Pratap Shahi were among early voters who cast their votes for the 15th Presidential election in Jharkhand Assembly. Both NDA and Opposition candidates in the Presidential election have a deep-rooted connection with Jharkhand.

NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu was the State’s Governor. She is from the Santal tribe, which has a sizeable population in Jharkhand as well as in neighbouring Odisha, from where she hails.

Yashwant Sinha, the joint Opposition nominee, was an MP from Jharkhand’s Hazaribag district and was a Union Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cabinet. - PTI

Karnataka

Deve Gowda, Karnataka CM cast vote for Presidential election

Former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and former CMs cast their votes for the Presidential election.

The 89-year-old JD(S) supremo, who is a Rajya Sabha member, arrived at the Vidhana Soudha in a wheelchair, accompanied by his son and MLA H. D. Revanna, and JD(S) Deputy leader in the Assembly Bandeppa Kashempur among others.

Apart from him, Karnataka Ministers, former Chief Ministers B. S. Yediyurappa, Jagadish Shettar, Siddaramaiah and H. D. Kumaraswamy too cast their votes. Mr. Bommai and Yediyurappa said the NDA candidate is sure to win with a huge margin. - PTI

Tamil Nadu

O. Panneerselvam casts his vote

Former Tamil Nadu CM O. Panneerselvam casts his vote. (Source: B. Jothi Ramalingam)

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Opposition Deputy Leader O. Panneerselvam casts his vote for the 15th Presidential election of the country, at the State Secretariat, in Chennai. As he tested positive for COVID-19, he was wearing PPE kit while casting his vote. He is one of the last MLAs to cast vote in the State.

New Delhi

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul, top Congress leaders cast their votes

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former party chief Rahul Gandhi cast their votes for the Presidential elections along with other senior party leaders in New Delhi.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who arrived in Parliament in a wheel chair, cast his vote in the morning. He was helped by others to cast his ballot. Sonia Gandhi was accompanied by Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.

Rahul Gandhi arrived with All India Congress Committee general secretary K. C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh when he came to cast his vote. - PTI

Uttar Pradesh

Nisith Pramanik, Mulayam Singh given fresh ballots after first voting attempt fails

BJP leader Nisith Pramanik and Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav were issued fresh ballots after they could not cast their votes properly in the first attempt in the Presidential election. Mr. Yadav arrived in Parliament in a wheelchair, but faltered while casting his vote, and was given another chance to do so, sources said.

Mr. Pramanik also could not cast his vote properly in the first attempt, they said, adding he was also allowed a second chance as per rules. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also in a wheelchair and was assisted by polling officers in exercising his franchise - PTI 

Puducherry

Chief Minister, Legislators cast vote in Presidential poll in Puducherry

All the 30 Legislators belonging to AINRC-led ruling front, independents and the Opposition DMK and the Congress exercised their franchise in the Puducherry Assembly to elect the 15th President of India. Congress Lok Sabha MP V. Vaithilingam also cast his vote in Puducherry.

The Leader of Opposition, R. Siva along with all his party colleagues and also two Congress MLAs M. Vaithianathan and Ramesh Parambath and the Lok Sabha member, were the first to turn up at the booth to cast the votes.

Later, Chief Minister, along with all the Legislators belonging to the AINRC, the BJP and independent candidates, exercised his vote. Tight security was in place inside and outside the Assembly campus. PTI 

Kohima

Presidential polling under way in Nagaland

Voting to elect the 15th President of the country is under way in Nagaland with Legislators of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) exercising their franchise.

In the 60-member Assembly, 42 Legislators of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), 12 BJP, 4 MLAs of Naga People’s Front (NPF), and two Independent MLAs had declared their support for NDA’s Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.

All these MLAs joined hands in September 2021 to form UDA for facilitating an early solution to the Naga political imbroglio. - PTI

Odisha

Meditation, prayers and puja at Rairangpur

Meditation, prayers and puja were held in this small north Odisha town, home to Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu, as voting began across the country to elect the 15th President of the country.

There was a festive air in the town and its residents were glued to the television as various news channels showed VVIPS of the country including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers of various States casting their votes to elect the new President.

The voting would have gone largely unnoticed in the small town but for Ms. Murmu. This time public enthusiasm was on display, particularly by tribals as a woman from among them appeared set to occupy Raisina Hills and etch her name in the country’s history.

Members of ‘Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Iswariya Vishwa Vidyalaya’ centre in Rairangpur held a special meditation programme coinciding with the voting for the Presidential poll. Ms. Murmu has been an active member of the Centre since 2009. - PTI

New Delhi

Nisith Pramanik, Mulayam Singh given fresh ballots after first voting attempt fails

BJP leader Nisith Pramanik and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav were issued fresh ballots after they could not cast their votes properly in the first attempt in the presidential poll.

Mr. Yadav arrived in Parliament in a wheelchair, but faltered while casting his vote, and was given another chance to do so, sources said.

Mr. Pramanik also could not cast his vote properly in the first attempt, they said, adding he was also allowed a second chance as per rules.

Punjab

SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali boycotts Presidential poll

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali boycotted the Presidential poll, saying issues related to Punjab remain unresolved and he was not consulted by his party leadership before deciding to back NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu.

The SAD has three Legislators in the 117-member Punjab Assembly. In a video message, Mr. Ayali said he is boycotting the poll and the party leadership did not consult him before deciding to extend support to Ms. Murmu.

However, the Dakha MLA said he has no Opposition to the candidature of Ms. Murmu. “But when the party decided to vote for the BJP candidate, I was not consulted. Even the Sikh community was also not consulted,” he said. He alleged that there had always been discrimination against Punjab. - PTI

Uttar Pradesh

Samajwadi Party ally Rajbhar accompanies Deputy CM Pathak to cast vote

The new-found political bonhomie between the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and the BJP was on full display in the Legislative assembly when Samajwadi Party ally Om Prakash Rajbhar was seen accompanying Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak to cast vote in the Presidential election. The two leaders flashed a smile to the media before proceeding to exercise their vote.

Mr. Rajbhar told PTI, “Droupadi Murmu ji is going to win the Presidential election and the road to Delhi passes through Lucknow. She is going to win with a huge majority.” SBSP MLA from Jakhanian in Ghazipur was present with Rajbhar

“Thanks to all the voters, who have listened to the voice of conscience and voted or will be voting for Droupadi Murmu. There is support from all the parties,” Brajesh Pathak said. - PTi

Uttar Pradesh - Kerala

BJP MLA from U.P. casts vote in Kerala

A BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh voted in the Presidential polls from Thiruvananthapuram, giving the NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu her only possible saffron party vote from Kerala, which otherwise has no elected representatives in the southern State.

BJP’s Sevapuri MLA Neel Ratan Singh Patel, who is currently undergoing an Ayurvedic treatment at a hospital in northern Palakkad district, travelled up to Thiruvananthapuram to exercise his franchise at a polling station set up at the State Assembly complex. - PTI

Arunachal Pradesh

Fifty nine out of 60 MLAs cast votes till noon

As many as 59 MLAs out of 60 in Arunachal Pradesh exercised their franchise till 12 noon to elect the new President of India, Assembly secretary K. Habung said. Chief Minister Pema Khandu and his Deputy Chowna Mein were among the early ones to cast votes at Nokmey Namati Hall of the Assembly, Habung stated.

BJP lawmaker Lokam Tassar is yet to exercise his franchise. All four Congress MLAs including, former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, have also cast their votes.

In Arunachal Pradesh, the ruling BJP has 48 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly while the Opposition Congress and National People’s Party have four each, JD(U) has one. The House also has three Independents as members. - PTI 

India

Vote for me to save democracy: Yashwant Sinha

Yashwant Sinha, the Opposition Presidential candidate, requested all the MLAs and MPs to elect him as the country’s next President to save the democracy. Mr. Sinha said his fight is also against the government agencies, not just a political fight. He said the Centre has become so powerful and that they are breaking up parties and forcing voters to choose their candidate. Mr. Sinha said this election is crucial and that this would steer the country in a right direction, towards democracy.

Assam

A total of 119 MLAs of the 126 Assam MLAs cast votes

A total of 119 of the 126 Assam MLAs, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, cast their votes for the Presidential polls in the Assembly on July 18.

Of the 126 MLAs, 123 will cast their votes in the Assembly while Congress MLA Bharat Chandra Narah has sought permission to exercise his franchise in the Parliament as he is in New Delhi for treatment. Two AIUDF MLAs — Suzzamuddin Laskar and Nizamuddin Choudhury — are currently outside the country.

Most of the Cabinet Ministers and Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia have cast their votes, an official said. AIUDF MLAs came in a group to cast their votes, but two of their 15 Legislators will not exercise their franchise as they are away in Saudi Arabia to perform Haj. - PTI

Chhattisgarh

Kurud constituency MLA Ajay Chandrakar first to cast vote

BJP MLA from Kurud constituency Ajay Chandrakar was the first House member in the Congress-ruled Chhatttisgarh to cast his ballot for electing the country’s 15th President .

Congress MLA from Kondagaon and Chhattisgarh party unit chief Mohan Markam, State Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu also cast their votes, an Assembly official said. Voting started in the Chhattisgarh Assembly complex at 10 a. m.

In the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly, the Congress has 71 MLAs, while the BJP has 14 members. There are also three MLAs are from the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) and two from the Bahujan Samaj Party. PTI

Bihar

BJP MLA Mithilesh Kumar arrives on stretcher to cast his vote

Voting began in Bihar Assembly in Patna, at 10 a.m. Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha was among the early voters. State Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad and Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav also cast their votes.

BJP MLA Mithilesh Kumar, who had met with a road accident about a month ago, arrived on a stretcher to cast his vote. - PTI

Delhi

Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia cast their votes at Delhi Assembly

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cast his vote for the Presidential polls at the Delhi Assembly, in New Delhi, hoping that the country will get a “good” President.

The Aam Aadmi Party had earlier announced that it will support joint Opposition’s candidate Yashwant Sinha in the polls. Voting began for the Presidential election amid tight security arrangements on Delhi Assembly premises.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, AAP MLAs Shiv Charan Goel and Bhavna Gaur and BJP’s Mohan Singh Bisht were among the early voters.

BJP MLAs, including Leader of Opposition cast their votes together. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, said there is a lot of joy among people of the country that a tribal woman is going to become the President of India. - PTI

Uttar Pradesh

Prays for strength to democracy: Yogi Adityanath; rose above politics: Mayawati

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was among the early voters as he voted for the Presidential elections at the Vidhan Bhavan’s Tilak Hall in Lucknow. Mr. Adityanath prayed for strength to Indian democracy.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati claimed that her party rose above politics to support NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu and urged Legislators belonging to weaker sections to vote on the basis of their conscience.

U.P. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak and Suheldev BSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar arrived together to cast their votes. U. P. Cabinet Ministers Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary and Surya Pratap Shahi too queued up to cast their votes. Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh was also among the early voters. - PTI

Odisha

Both the BJD and the BJP support one candidate

The polling to elect the country’s 15th President began in Odisha Assembly and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was among the early members to cast their votes.

Lawmakers of the ruling BJD and the Opposition BJP have queued up as the NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is a “daughter of Odisha”. BJP member Mukesh Mahaling was the first Odisha Legislator to cast his vote when polling commenced at 10 a. m..

It is for the first time that a person from the State is in the fray for the election to the country’s topmost constitutional post. It is also probably for the first time in the history of Presidential election in the State that both the ruling party (BJD) and the main Opposition (BJP) are supporting the same candidate. - PTI

India

‘The unopposed President’

Did you know only one President has been elected unopposed so far? It was the country's seventh President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy.

Incidentally in 1969, Reddy, the official candidate of the Congress, was defeated by V. V. Giri when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called for a "conscience vote" in her bid to trump her detractors within the party.

When he contested again in 1977, two years after the Emergency, Reddy was the only candidate in fray since the nomination papers of 36 other aspirants were rejected. He succeeded Fakruddin Ali Ahmed after his death in 1977. - PTI

Mizoram

Thermal scanning of all voters

Voting for the Presidential election began in Mizoram Assembly under tight security. The polling began at 10 a. m. as per schedule amidst strict COVID-19 protocol, Assembly Commissioner and secretary H. Lalrinawma said.

Thermal scanning of all voters is being done, while officials dealing with the poll and journalists covering it were tested for coronavirus two days ago. Lalchhuanthanga of the Opposition Zoram People’s Movement was the first legislator to cast his vote. Chief Minister Zoramthanga and Speaker Lalrinliana Sailo were among the early voters.

In the 40-member State Assembly, the ruling Mizo National Front has 28 members, the Zoram People’s Movement six, the Congress five and BJP one. The State has two MPs — one each in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Both of them are from the MNF and have cast their votes in Parliament, officials said. - PTI

Telangana

Voting under way in Telangana Legislative Assembly

Voting for the Presidential election is under way in the Telangana Legislative Assembly. The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLAs, who assembled at the party headquarters at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad, reached the Assembly premises led by party Working President and Minister K. T. Rama Rao.

A mock polling was held at the TRS headquarters before the party MLAs reached the Assembly, TRS sources said. As many as 119 members of the State Legislative Assembly would exercise their franchise in the Presidential election. While the strength of ruling TRS is 103, the AIMIM has seven members. The Congress and the BJP have six and three MLAs respectively. The TRS has nine Lok Sabha members and seven members in the Rajya Sabha. - PTI

Odisha

With Droupadi Murmu’s Presidential nomination, great expectations on the ground

Pahadpur village in Mayurbhanj, Odisha, rejoices at the prospect of its ‘daughter-in-law’ Droupadi Murmu becoming India’s next President. Elsewhere in the tribal heartlands, the nomination itself is being seen as a triumph of political aspirations and a breakthrough moment for the community.

Hundreds of men and women in their traditional costumes could be seen entering the village playground and interlocking their arms for a dance sequence. Amid the beating of drums, the dancers moved in circular and semicircular formations and kept dancing till they were completely exhausted. - Satyasundar Barik

Gujarat

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, Speaker Acharya cast their votes

Voting to elect the country’s 15th President was under way in the Gujarat Assembly complex, with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Assembly Speaker Nimaben Acharya being among the first to cast their ballot.

Former State Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, ex-Deputy CM Nitin Patel and Leader of Opposition Sukhram Rathva were also among the early voters. The voting began in the State Assembly complex in Gandhinagar at 10 a. m. and will continue till 5 p. m.

After casting his vote, BJP MLA and Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vaghani expressed confidence that Ms. Murmu will get more than 111 votes as Opposition MLAs will also vote for her. - PTI

Goa

Goa CM Sawant casts vote; says Droupadi Murmu will get maximum votes

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant cast his vote for the election of the country’s next President. After casting his vote on the State Assembly premises, Mr. Sawant told reporters that he has requested all the MLAs to vote for the National Democratic Alliance’s candidate Droupadi Murmu in the Presidential election.

.“I am confident that we (NDA nominee) will get the maximum votes,” said the CM, who was among the early voters.

The Congress has 11 MLAs, the Aam Aadmi Party has two Legislators, while the Goa Forward Party and the Revolutionary Goans have one member each in the House. - PTI

New Delhi

Former PM Manmohan Singh casts vote

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh casts his vote for the Presidential Election at the Parliament house, in New Delhi, on July 18. (Source: R. V. Moorthy)

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cast his vote for the Presidential Election at the Parliament house, in New Delhi, on July 18. Last year, on October 13, Mr. Singh was admitted to the cardio neuro section of the All India Institute of Medical Science, as he had fever and complained of weakness. He was later discharged on October 31.

Punjab & Haryana

Voting at Punjab, Haryana Assemblies under way

Voting for the Presidential election began at the Punjab and Haryana Assembly complexes at 10 a.m. In Punjab, MLAs who cast their vote early in the day included Congress’ Partap Bajwa, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Sukhjinder Randhawa, and AAP leader and Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak.

In Haryana, Minister Kamal Gupta was the first to vote. Many MLAs from the ruling BJP-Jannayak Janata Party reached the Assembly complex for the polling while Legislators from the main Opposition Congress are expected to vote in the afternoon.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has three Legislators while the BJP has two, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) one and there is one Independent MLA. Out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress has eight MPs, the SAD and BJP have two each while one is from the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). All the seven Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab are from the AAP.

In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, 89 MLAs will cast their vote in the Vidhan Sabha complex while Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi, who had cross-voted in last month’s Rajya Sabha polls and was subsequently expelled from all party positions, will cast his vote in the Parliament House. - PTI

Maharashtra

Maharashtra will create a political history in Presidential polls: Ashish Shelar

BJP MLA and former State Minister Ashish Shelar claimed that Ms. Murmu will get "record-breaking" votes from Maharashtra.

"She will get votes across the party lines. You will see a huge turnout in this election. So, the lead that you see from Maharashtra will create a political history in the Presidential polls,” he further claimed while talking to reporters.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and other lawmakers from the State cast their vote at Vidhan Bhawan's central hall. Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Ajit Pawar (the NCP) and Congress's Balasaheb Thorat were also among the early voters.

Pune BJP MLA Mukta Tilak, who is suffering from a serious illness, also arrived in the Vidhan Bhawan to cast her vote. - PTI

Madhya Pradesh

Voting under way in Madhya Pradesh Assembly complex

Legislators queued up in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly complex on July 18 to cast their vote to elect the country's next President. Chief Minister and senior BJP leaders Shivraj Singh Chouhan was among the early voters.

Mr. Chouhan was seen meeting some of his party Legislators standing in a queue to cast their vote. Meanwhile, talking to the reporters, State Home Minister Narottam Mishra claimed Ms. Murmu will win the Presidential poll with a huge margin. - PTI

Chennai

M.K. Stalin among early voters

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin casting his vote in the Presidential election at state secretariat in Chennai on Monday. (Source: B. Jothi Ramalingam)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who was discharged from a private hospital today, reached Secretariat to cast his vote.

The ruling DMK-led alliance has extended its support to former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha.

New Delhi

Electoral fate of Murmu, Sinha to be stored in ballot boxes, not EVMs

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other MPs flash victory sign as they arrive to cast votes for the presidential election, on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, on Monday, July 18, 2022. (Source: PTI)

Ever wondered why electronic voting machines, used in four Lok Sabha elections and 127 Assembly polls since 2004, are not deployed in polls to elect the President and Vice President of India, members of Rajya Sabha, and members of State legislative councils? 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.

Voters press the button against the name of the candidate of their choice and the one who bags the maximum number of votes is declared elected. But the election of the President is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.

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. - PTI

Amaravati

CM Jagan casts first vote in Andhra Pradesh in Presidential poll

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy cast the first vote as polling process for the presidential election got underway at 10 a.m. in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Monday.

Speaker Tammineni Sitaram was the next to exercise his franchise. Several ministers then cast their votes.

The ruling YSR Congress pledged its support to the NDA’s presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu. The opposition Telugu Desam Party has also backed Ms. Murmu. - PTI

Jaipur

Voting for presidential elections begins in Rajasthan

Polling began for the presidential elections on the Rajasthan Assembly premises here at 10 a.m. on Monday, with State Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot among early voters.

The State Government’s chief whip in the Assembly, Mahesh Joshi, also reached there to cast his vote.

Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said the polling will continue till 5 p.m. - PTI

Yashwant Sinha

Yashwant Sinha | A career of many turns 

Yashwant Sinha’s political career has come full circle. From being a trenchant critic of the Congress and the Left as a BJP leader for over two decades to a joint Opposition candidate in the July 18 Presidential election, supported by both.

Mr. Sinha was born in Patna on November 6, 1937, as the ninth of 11 siblings. His father was an advocate in the Patna High Court. At the age of 23, Mr. Sinha joined the Indian Administrative Service and was allotted the Bihar cadre. Fourteen years into the job, in 1974, answering the call for “Total Revolution” from Jai Prakash Narayan, Mr. Sinha wanted to quit the service. He writes in his autobiography, Relentless, that he was dissuaded by the family that was solely dependent on his salary and many leaders, including JP himself.

Droupadi Murmu

Being Droupadi Murmu — the arc of a gritty career and diverse people’s struggles

The announcement of former Jharkhand Governor Droupadi Murmu’s name as the Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is historic not just because of her own political and life journey, but also for what she represents.

Mumbai

Cross-voting fears in Maharashtra Congress, NCP

As lawmakers from Maharashtra gear up to vote on Monday to elect the country’s next president, there are concerns among the opposition parties over the possibility of cross-voting.

MLAs and MPs form the electoral college to elect the President of India.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress — the two main opposition parties in Maharashtra — have already held meetings with their legislators to ensure there is no any cross-voting in favour of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s candidate Droupadi Murmu.

The opposition is concerned as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday claimed that Murmu would get the support of 200 MLAs from the State.

“We will manage to get the votes of 200 MLAs for Droupadi Murmu. We want a very comfortable win for her,” he said. - PTI

New Delhi

All set for Presidential election; Droupadi Murmu has an edge over Yashwant Sinha

The election for the President of India will be held on Monday. The contest is between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate and former Jharkhand Governor Droupadi Murmu and the Opposition’s choice, senior politician and former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha.

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