Presidential Election to be held on July 18

The poll to decide India’s next President will be place on Monday, July 18, the Election Commission declared on Thursday.

President Ram Nath Kovind’s successor will be chosen by 4,809 members of the electoral college, which includes MPs and MLAs.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is in a strong position to assure the success of the candidate it nominates in the upcoming election, based on its strength in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, as well as in numerous state legislatures.

Nominations can be registered when the notification is issued on June 15 and will be accepted until June 29, according to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.

Kovind’s tenure ends on July 24, and a presidential election must be held before that date.

Kumar stated that the Election Commission is fully prepared to hold a free and fair election, and that all Covid-related safety protocols will be followed during voting and vote counting.

He also stated that no political party will be permitted to issue a whip.

Nominations will be scrutinized on June 30, and nomination withdrawals will be accepted until July 2.

The voting will take place on July 18 if necessary, and the ballots will be counted on July 21.

The presidential election will be held in Parliament and state legislatures, with the returning officer being the Rajya Sabha Secretary-General.

MPs vote in Parliament, whereas MLAs vote in their respective state legislatures.

If an emergency occurs, the EC must be notified 10 days in advance for MPs to vote in a state legislature or MLAs to vote in the Parliament complex, according to Kumar.

Members of the electoral college, which includes elected members of both houses of Parliament as well as elected members of legislative assemblies from all states, including the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry, elect the President.

Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, as well as state legislative legislatures, are not eligible to be included in the electoral college, and hence are not allowed to vote in the election.