NEW DELHI: The election for the next President of India, if one is needed, will be held on July 17, and votes will be counted three days later, the Election Commission made an announcement on Wednesday evening, as President Pranab Mukherjee's term ends on July 24. According to Chief Election Commission Nasim Zaidi that notification in regard would be issued on June 14.
"The last date for filing of nomination is June 28 and the counting will take place in Delhi on July 20," Zaidi told reporters.
With the announcement of date, all political parties, whether ruling or opposition will start expediating the process of finalizing their candidates for the top constitutional post.
While NDA are positioning to win the poll with the support of regional parties like TRS, main opposition party Congress is negotiating will opposition parties to bring them on board.
Several opposition leaders have backed the initiative and believe it will allow them to test how effectively they can work against the ruling BJP for the next general election in 2019.
Sources said that the BJP has already begun the exercise to turn the Presidential poll into a show of strength, the saffron outfit has counted that even if the 17 parties jamboree, cobbled up by the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, vote as a block it would still be short of 1,17,520 votes from the halfway mark in the electoral college.
According to a senior BJP insider the grand Opposition, which is being attempted by the Congress chief, is short by as much as 1,17,520 votes from 50 per cent mark in the electoral college of the Presidential election. And be feting DMK, the Congress has helped the cause of the BJP to gain the support of both the factions of the AIADMK. The NDA will be way ahead from the Opposition.
The electoral college of the Presidential election has a strength of 10,95,619 votes, with the NDA’s share being 5,27,371 and UP commanding just 1,73,849 votes. However, the Congress chief had hosted a lunch on Friday for leaders of 16 other Opposition parties, including the constituents of the UPA.