President Pranab Mukherjee's term ends on July 24.(File photo)
Seven people, including a Mumbai couple, have filed nominations for the presidential poll so far, which is to be held on July 17 this year. The couple reportedly told the returning officer it would be 'good' for them if one was elected president and the other the vice-president.
Only one person, Jeevan Kumar Mittal, has filed a nomination from the national capital so far.
Among the other six are the Patels, Saira Bano Mohammed Patel and Mohammed Patel Abdul Hamid, who want to share the top Constitutional posts between them.
The other four who filed their papers were K Padmarajan from Tamil Nadu, Anand Singh Kushwaha from Madhya Pradesh, A Bala Raj from Telangana and Kondekar Vijayprakash from Pune.
The nominations of all seven are liable to be rejected as none had the signatures of 50 proposers and as many seconders from the list of electors, essential for a valid nomination.
Mr Vijayprakash wrote in his nomination papers, filed in two sets: "I know my nomination paper will be rejected. A layman like me cannot obtain 100 signatures. I am crazy but one should be crazy. Sir, our institutions like Parliament (are) locked and the prison of political parties."
Elected members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and of state legislative assemblies are the electors.
All seven attached certified copies of their election cards to prove they were voters, while of few of them had deposited Rs 15,000 as security deposit, sources said.
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. President Pranab Mukherjee's term ends on July 24.
The president is chosen through an electoral college of national and state lawmakers.
The BJP and its allies are positioned to win the election after Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured the support of regional parties like the TRS of Telangana which will cover the small shortfall in votes that the ruling coalition confronted. The Prime Minister would like to choose a nominee acceptable to those parties.
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