Voting for the presidential election in which NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is pitted against joint opposition pick Yashwant Sinha began on Monday.
Polling began at 10 am and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to cast his vote.
The voting process would conclude at 5 pm.
Nearly 4,800 elected MPs and MLAs are entitled to vote in the election, but nominated MPs and MLAs, and members of Legislative Councils are not.
Besides Room number 63 on the first floor of Parliament House, which has been converted into a polling station, voting is simultaneously taking place at various state assemblies.
Voting in the election being held for the post of President of India is over at Parliament. "Polling was conducted peacefully, cordially everywhere. A total turnout at Parliament is 99.18 per cent," said Chief Returning Officer PC Mody.
Akhilesh Yadav accused his uncle Shivpal Yadav of working on the BJP's "directions" to target Yashwant Sinha, saying the opposition's Presidential candidate had in the past called SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav an " ISI agent". (Read more)
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh (89) arrived in Parliament to cast his vote. He has been unwell after he tested positive for Covid last year, and has been away from the limelight since then.
Former Prime Minister and Congress MP Dr Manmohan Singh cast his vote for the Presidential election, today at the Parliament. pic.twitter.com/H6jl3O7hlb
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee arrives at the State Assembly in Kolkata to cast her vote for the #PresidentialElections pic.twitter.com/iEo8uweSLy
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
Shiromani Akali Dal 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 Dakha MLA said he spoke to voters and workers in his constituency, and took the decision considering "sentiments of 'Panth' (Sikh community).
In a video message, Ayali said he is boycotting the poll on his own and the party leadership did not consult him before deciding to extend support to Murmu. He alleged that there had always been discrimination against Punjab. "Be it the weakness of our leadership, or some personal interests, I do not know what are the reasons but our issues remained unresolved," said Ayali.
He also criticised the Centre for announcing to give land to Haryana in Chandigarh for setting an additional building of the Vidhan Sabha.
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 being held Monday. (Read more)
Delhi | Congress MPs Sonia Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, and Mallikarjun Kharge cast their votes for the Presidential polls pic.twitter.com/7KoiIkOMGE
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
Congress MLA from Cuttack-Barabati constituency Mohammed Moquim voted in favour of NDA Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu throwing the state unit of the party in a turmoil. “I voted as per the dictates of my conscience and chose the daughter of the soil for the country’s topmost constitutional post,” Moquim told mediapersons after casting his votes creating ripples in political circles here. (Read full story here)
Voting was also underway in various state assemblies for the presidential poll and the early voters in the states included Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
Delhi | Congress' P Chidambaram, NC's Farooq Abdullah, SAD's Simranjit Singh Mann, and AAP's Raghav Chadha cast their votes for the Presidential polls pic.twitter.com/0oZ06N2094
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
NCP MLA Kandhal S Jadeja says he has voted for NDA's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.
"There was a Congress meeting yesterday, it was attended by only two-three MLAs. Only District President were there. What was the need for a meeting in Assembly? Clear that Congress is cross-voting, it may be 20+. You can see numbers on the day of result", said AIUDF MLA Karimuddin Barbhuiya.
"The route towards Delhi goes via Lucknow. Droupadi Murmu is winning the polls with a massive number of votes," said SBSP chief OP Rajbhar after casting his vote for the Presidential polls
"In today's Presidential election, Shiv Sena is supporting Draupadi Murmu. We believe that Presidential polls are different from any political election. It's the highest post and vote should be cast for a suitable candidate. So, we took this decision," said party leader Aaditya Thackeray.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan casts his vote for the Presidential election, at the State Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram. pic.twitter.com/7NxGRMIn81
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
#PresidentialElection SP chief Akhliesh Yadav going to cast his vote in Tilak Hall of UP Assembly today @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard @santwana99 pic.twitter.com/yVbxDkvUKx
— Namita_TNIE (@Namita_TNIE) July 18, 2022
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma casts his vote for the Presidential election, at the State Assembly. pic.twitter.com/FxbEZdsvNd
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
"In this country, there is a state of anarchy. There is a threat to democracy. The misuse of constitutional institutions is rampant. We would want a President who looks into it. Our PM doesn't even discuss the issues facing the youth, or the farmers," says RJD MLA Tejashwi Yadav.
BJP MP Hema Malini casts her vote to elect the new President of India, at the Parliament. pic.twitter.com/QSIcZhBkYz
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur casts his vote in the election being held for the post of President of India pic.twitter.com/gM57F5leHV
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
Jayant Sinha - BJP MP and son of Opposition's Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha - casts his vote for the Presidential election, at the Parliament. pic.twitter.com/eqUbYf4Kgb
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
Goa CM Pramod Sawant casts his vote in the election being held for the post of President of India in Goa assembly
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
"100% of people will cast votes for the Presidential elections from Goa. I am sure all votes will be cast for our candidate (Droupadi Murmu) from my state," he says pic.twitter.com/xOFyK8hAke
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who cast his vote for the Presidential election in Bhubaneswar #Odisha
— TNIE Odisha (@XpressOdisha) July 18, 2022
?@NewIndianXpress? pic.twitter.com/Pa2ZzbVO03
"I'll vote in the favor of Yashwant Sinha. There should be someone in the country who can tell the Government the situation of the economy, from time to time. Look at Sri Lanka's condition. So, there should be President who can say that from time to time,"said the Samajwadi Party chief chief and UP MLA.
#PresidentialElection | Telangana Minister and TRS party working president #KTRamaRao casts his vote.
— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) July 18, 2022
Express photo | @Vinaymadapu. pic.twitter.com/9d85xYjKGP
Mumbai | Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde votes in the 16th Presidential election pic.twitter.com/0YFeVTA3wD
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
Chandigarh | MLAs cast their votes for the Presidential election, at Punjab and Haryana Assemblies. pic.twitter.com/bZpNliI5Mn
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
Delhi | Union Minister and BJP MP Anurag Thakur casts his vote in the election being held for the post of President of India, in Parliament pic.twitter.com/EGPLZBOGdZ
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami arrives at the State Assembly to vote for Presidential election. pic.twitter.com/BW8P0ZtV44
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 18, 2022
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan casts his vote for the Presidential election, at the State Assembly in Bhopal. pic.twitter.com/ssobmZ1ocm
— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) July 18, 2022
"I am not just fighting a political fight but a fight against government agencies too. They have become too powerful. They are breaking up parties, forcing people to vote for them. There is also a game of money involved. This election is very important, will set path for country's democracy, whether it will stay or end. I appeal to all voters to listen to their hearts. This is a secret ballot, I hope they'll use their discretion and elect me to save democracy ," the former Union Minister said.
#PresidentialElections2022 commenced in #AndhraPradesh #CM @ysjagan casting his vote @NewIndianXpress #Jagan pic.twitter.com/t0ztLzsRqO
— TNIE Andhra Pradesh (@xpressandhra) July 18, 2022
#Gujarat Chief Minister @Bhupendrapbjp cast his vote in Gandhinagar for the election of President of India.@NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard #PresidentialElections2022 #PresidentofIndia #PresidentialPolls pic.twitter.com/DLZ75OnNoF
— Dilip Singh Kshatriya (@Kshatriyadilip) July 18, 2022
Amaravati | Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy casts his vote in the 16th Presidential election pic.twitter.com/027VSqZbtT
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
Hyderabad | MLAs arrive to cast their votes for the Presidential elections in the Telangana assembly pic.twitter.com/ibZZNLHF3d
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
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. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
#PresidentialElection | PM #NarendraModi and Union Home Minister #AmitShah cast their votes. MPs wait in queue for their turn to vote in the Parliament House.
— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) July 18, 2022
Express photos | @Shekharyadav02. pic.twitter.com/1GEvQUDpjz
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik votes in the 16th Presidential election, at the State Assembly in Bhubaneswar. pic.twitter.com/lvGxtuct9i
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
Voting to elect the next President of India is underway in Manipur Assembly Secretariat, Imphal. pic.twitter.com/4nm5XQusng
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
#WATCH Voting in the election being held for the post of President of India is underway at Parliament pic.twitter.com/L2TGHQmuBh
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel casts his vote in Gandhinagar in the election being held for the post of President of India pic.twitter.com/MgEqbNeTWY
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
#WATCH Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin casts vote in 16th Presidential election, in Chennai pic.twitter.com/fmFb9sdw49
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
PM #NarendraModi arrived at the Parliament as the Monsoon session commences today.
— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) July 18, 2022
Express photo | @Shekharyadav02. #PresidentialElection pic.twitter.com/z2heI4MtuZ
Voting begins for the Presidential election; MPs and MLAs across the country cast their votes.
Kolkata | Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari arrives at West Bengal Assembly ahead of voting for the Presidential election today pic.twitter.com/PD7dQXhLDw
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
"The polling will commence at 10 am and conclude at 5 pm. All arrangements have been made for free and fair elections. Security arrangements in and around the Parliament and particularly the venue of the poll have been strengthened," PC Mody, Secretary General, Rajya Sabha on Presidential poll.
Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday commented on Murmu and said the Rashtrapati Bhavan does not need a “statue”. RJD has announced its support to Opposition presidential nominee Yashwant Sinha. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
#WATCH | West Bengal BJP MLAs leave from The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat for the State Assembly.
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022
Voting for the Presidential Election will be held from 10 am to 5 pm today. pic.twitter.com/KFBSYfbTQK
Bada Tudu, the naika - tribal priest of the shrine at Uparbeda - said he along with his three assistants Chaitanya Tudu, Bhagbat Tudu and Ananta Tudu were on fast since the morning. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
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 aggregators of votes in direct elections such as the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
The former BJP leader made a fervent appeal to parliamentarians and legislators across the country to vote for him regardless of party affiliations to help 'save the Constitution, democracy, secularism and India'. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
Paswan, however, said that attending the meeting did not mean he was again a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). (READ FULL STORY HERE)
The BJP has 106 MLAs in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly along with 40 MLAs belonging to the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena besides ten independents who support the BJP. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
Brij Bhushan Dubey, the returning officer for the presidential election in Uttar Pradesh, said, five MLAs of the state will cast their vote outside the state poll due to personal reasons. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
Dibyendu, the younger brother of leader of opposition in the West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari, said he would follow the directive of his party TMC. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
Sinha, who had been a cabinet colleague of Kumar during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, also expressed surprise at the lack of support from Bihar's chief minister given that he had roots in the state and that Odisha's CM Naveen Patnaik has rooted for Draupadi Murmu as she is a daughter of the state. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
With the support of regional parties like the BJD, the YSR-CP, the BSP, the AIADMK, the TDP, the JD(S), the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Shiv Sena and now the JMM, NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu's vote share in the July 18 presidential poll 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. (READ FULL STORY HERE)