Presidential elections 2017: NDA to pick its VP candidate today

Voting for the presidential election is on Monday, and for vice-presidential election is August 5

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentary board is slated to meet on Monday to pick the vice-presidential candidate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Today, Opposition presidential candidate Meira Kumar and vice-presidential candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi met members of political parties supporting their respective candidatures.

Addressing the members, both Kumar and Gopalkrishna Gandhi stressed that while electoral college numbers are stacked against the Opposition but the battle was ideological and has brought together political parties from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi said the Constitution and the law of the land were “sadly under siege today”. “In these contests, the numbers may be against us. But the battle must be fought and fought hard. We cannot and must not let India be hostage to those who wish to impose upon it a narrow-minded, divisive and communal vision,” she said.

The voting for the presidential elections 2017 is on Monday, while that for vice-presidential election is on August 5.

The counting of votes for the presidential election is on July 20, and the new president will take the oath of office on July 25.

The BJP-led NDA was to announce its candidate on Sunday, but this has been postponed to Monday. Sources claim Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla and Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu are two of the aspirants. However, some consider Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao as the frontrunner.

But just as the name of NDA’s candidate Ram Nath Kovind was a surprise to many, including people in the NDA, so could be that of its vice-presidential candidate.

July 18 is the last day for filing of nominations for the vice-presidential election. Opposition candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi is likely to file his nomination papers on Monday.

The Opposition presidential candidate is being supported by 17 political parties, minus the Janata Dal (United). However, the JD (U) is supporting the Opposition’s vice-presidential candidate.

The NDA’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates are expected to win the polls comfortably.

Time not ripe for Prez poll but will support Opposition's Meira Kumar: AAP

BJP's Ram Nath Kovind to contest the election that is scheduled to take place on July 17

The AAP on Wednesday announced that it would support Meira Kumar, the opposition nominee for the presidential poll after the latter "appealed" to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to back her candidature.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the decision to support Kumar was taken by the Political Affairs Committee (PAC), the party's apex decision-making body, to "strengthen democracy".

"AAP will support joint opposition's presidential candidate Meira Kumar " senior party leader Ashutosh posted on Twitter.

On supporting Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the opposition's candidate for the vice presidential poll, Ashutosh said the PAC will discuss the issue later.

"We believe that a time should not have come for voting for a crucial post like the president. All political parties should have come together and put up a consensus candidate.

"Nevertheless, an election is taking place to choose the president. In such a scenario, the Aam Aadmi Party supports the joint opposition candidate," Singh said.

"Kumar had called up AAP's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal seeking support," Singh added.

The presidential election is taking place on July 17. Ram Nath Kovind has been fielded by the ruling BJP and its allies.

Some opposition parties, including the JD(U), Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the YSR Congress and the Biju Janta Dal, have extended support to Kovind's candidature.

The Congress did not invite the AAP when it had held discussions with other opposition parties on the matter.

An AAP leader, who did not want to be named, said the party was "fine" with keeping a distance from the Congress.

The AAP is the principal opposition party in Punjab.

The four-year-old party has 85 MLAs and four MPs, which translates into around 9,000 votes in the electoral college for the presidential election.

Presidential election was never contested on ideology before: Meira Kumar

Kumar is in Chhattisgarh as part of her campaign for the presidential election

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) presidential candidate Meira Kumar had termed the ensuing election as “historic” as it was contested on ideology.

“Never before had the presidential election in India been contested on ideology,” she said after meeting the Congress MPs and MLAs in Raipur on Wednesday evening.

Currently, Kumar is in Chhattisgarh as part of her campaign for the presidential election.

She underlined that secularism was under threat and the atrocities on Dalits and tribals had recently increased across the country. “To raise my voice against the atrocities, I am contesting the election,” the Opposition candidate for the top constitutional post said.

Meira kumar said that for the first time 17 parties have decided to contest the election together on an ideology, adding, "This election would make a place in history and is an opportunity to defeat the ideology working on caste and religion."

“I have written to the MLAs and MPs of all the parties and urged them to vote according to their conscience,” she said.

The former Lok Sabha speaker said casteism should be “buried in the ground”. When asked about making the presidential election a Dalit versus Dalit issue, she remarked that she was happy as well as disappointed. “It is sad that we are talking of caste even in the 21st Century,” Meira added.

For the first time presidential election is being contested on ideology: Meira Kumar

After the Bihar elections, the issue of tolerance is coming up in Presidential elections as well. UPA presidential candidate, Meira Kumar raised the issue in Jaipur on Tuesday and said that since the past some time it seems that we are being governed by people whose ideology does not have tolerance.

On reaching Jaipur for the election campaign on Tuesday, Meira Kumar in an interaction with the media at the state Congress headquarters said that the Presidential electionheld so far in the country have happened between two people, but for the first time elections are being held between two ideologies.

On the question of voting equation being in favour of NDA candidate, Meira said that for the first time 17 parties have decided to contest the election together on an ideology. This is a wonderful event that can make its place in history. “I have written to the MLAs and MPs of all the parties and urged them to vote according to their conscience,” she said.

On the issue of accepting support from Lalu Yadav despite allegations on him, Meira Kumar said, “W are not seeking support from individuals. We are seeking support on the basis of ideology.” On meeting Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar again and asking for support she said, “I have written to all the members of electoral college asking for support, now those who support will have to think.”

Regarding making the Presidential elections a Dalit versus Dalit issue, Meira said that it is sad that we are talking of caste even in the 21st Century.

Meanwhile MLA of Deeg Kummher, Vishvendra Singh, Bagidaura MLA Mahendrajit Singh Malviya and Bari MLA Giriraj Singh Malinga did not attend the meeting. Independent MLA Fatehpur, Nand Kishore Mahiriya too was not present.