Prime Minister Narendra Modi today voted in the Presidential election that began at 10 am today. MPs have also queued up in the parliament to cast their vote to elect the 15th President of India. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who looked frail and weak, was seen in a wheelchair when he came to cast his vote; five men helped him up at the ballot box. State MLAs, who are also part of the electoral college, are casting their votes from their state assemblies.
350 electors, including PM Modi and Manmohan Singh, voted in first 1.5 hours of the Presidential poll, sources said.
NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is set for a comfortable win, which will make her the first tribal President of the country. At 64 years old, she is also set to become the youngest President India has had so far. Ms Murmu is expected to bag around 62 per cent of the total votes as several regional parties have also announced their support for her candidature.
The counting of votes will take place on July 21 and the new President will take oath on July 25.
Former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha is the joint opposition against Ms Murmu.
A polling booth has been set up inside the Parliament premises where Members of Parliament will cast their votes. Rajya Sabha's Secretary General is the Returning Officer for this election.
The President is elected by members of the Electoral College consisting of elected Members of Parliament and of all the state Assemblies, including the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
Nominated Members of Parliament, state Assemblies and Members of Legislative Council are not eligible to vote. A total of 776 Members of Parliament and 4,033 MLAs will vote in the Presidential elections.
The Presidential election is being held today while the Vice Presidential election will be held on August 6.
The monsoon session of the parliament, which also begins today, will start at 11 am and will continue till August 12. There will be 18 sittings during the session.
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