The term of the current President, Ram Nath Kovind, is coming to an end on July 24.
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India on Thursday said the next Presidential election in India will be held on July 18 and the results will be announced on July 21. The term of the current President, Ram Nath Kovind, is coming to an end on July 24. The announcement came just a day before the elections to fill 57 vacant Rajya Sabha seats are to be held across 15 states.
India’s President is elected by the elected members of the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state legislative assemblies and UTs of Delhi and Puducherry. Members of the Legislative Councils and nominated members do not form part of the electoral college. Uttar Pradesh has the highest value of votes in the electoral college. As of 2021, the electoral college comprises 776 MPs and 4,120 MLAs.
There are a total of 4,809 members of the electoral college comprising MPs and MLAs who are set to elect the successor to incumbent Ram Nath Kovind. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the notification for the poll will be issued on June 15, and June 29 will be the last date for filing of nominations.
The presidential polls follow the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote. The value of each vote is pre-determined in proportion to the population of the respective state based on the 1971 census.
Article 58 of the Indian Constitution provides that the President and Vice President of India must be citizens of India, and at least 35 years old. The Presidential candidate must be qualified for elections in the same way as a member of the Lok Sabha, and must not hold any office of profit under the Indian government.
Till now, no political party has named its candidate for the top post.
