The stage is set for the upcoming presidential election on the 15th of July.
The ruling BJP-led NDA has nominated Droupadi Murumu for the highest post, a former school teacher who later became the first woman Governor of Jharkhand.
The opposition has nominated Yashwant Sinha, a former IAS officer who later served as a finance minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government.
How does the President of India get elected?
Unlike the Prime Minister, the President of India is elected indirectly. That means no direct voting, but instead, the President is elected by the electoral college.
The electoral college is a set of electors that consists of elected members of both Houses of the Parliament and the legislative assemblies of all States, including Delhi and Puducherry.
The nominated members of Rajya Sabha and State assemblies are not eligible to vote.
But the process is not that simple. Not every vote counts as one. Each MPs vote carries a fixed vote value of 700.
But in the case of MLAs, the vote value is calculated based on the population of the State, that differs from one state to another.
To win the election, a nominee has to secure the quota, half the total votes of the electoral college plus one.
Also read: The process of electing India’s President
